


A lifetime of moments

by neela



Category: Murder Call (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of a Case, Alternate Universe, Angst, Character Death, Child Death, Childbirth, Domestic Bliss, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friendship, Kidnapping, Long-Term Relationship(s), Marriage, Pre-Relationship, Pregnancy, Resolved Sexual Tension, Romance, Team Bonding, Team Dynamics, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unresolved Sexual Tension, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-09-13 16:30:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 48,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9132316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neela/pseuds/neela
Summary: “Life is not made up of minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years, but of moments. You must experience each one before you can appreciate it.”― Sarah Ban BreathnachThis will be a collection of individual and mostly unconnected GEN/TEEN one-shots and drabbles that I wrote for the 100-fic challenge (Murder Call, pairing Tessa/Steve). For some of my longer MC fics or mature/explicit oneshots, I will post them separately.





	1. Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They belong to Jennifer Rowe, Hal McElroy and Southern Star. I make no profit out of this.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-series. After receiving his divorce papers, Constable Steve Hayden decides to drown his sorrows.

**Prompt:** 025\. Strangers  
 **Rating:**  G (K)  
  


* * *

  
Constable Steve Hayden could feel everyone’s eyes on him as the messenger boy handed a thick envelope to him and made him sign a sheet to confirm he understood what it was and that he had received it. Once the suit-clad man had disappeared out of the crowded locker room, brisk and purposeful in his stride, Steve broke the seal and took a glance inside the brown envelope. It was as he had suspected. Diana hadn’t changed her mind.  
  
“You right, Hayden?” his partner asked. Constable Grimsley, a youngish bloke with curly light brown hair, had lost the smile he usually wore for everyone and everything, frowning at him thoughtfully. He was half-clad; just about to change to normal wear as their shift was over. The messenger boy sure had perfect timing.  
  
Steve didn’t reply immediately, shoving the papers back into the envelope forcefully, making a tear in it as he flung it into his locker.  
  
“Diana wants a divorce,” he bit out as he wrenched off his light blue uniform shirt and navy trousers. The bulky shoes were thrown carelessly into the bottom of the locker, making a resounding rumble as he pulled out the neatly folded jeans and sweater from the locker shelf.  
  
“Oh. I’m sorry, mate.”  
  
Steve slammed the locker door, meeting his partner’s uncertain eyes for a quick second. “Yeah, me too.”  
  
A muted silence fell upon the room for a few moments before the others continued about their business, turning away from him and not meeting his eyes. Those who did had sympathy written all over their faces. It made his stomach coil and churn. Most of those inside this room all knew what trouble being a cop meant for relationships. Not everyone could handle it. His story was an old one, and yet the thought did nothing to comfort him.  
  
He picked up the envelope and grasped it tightly in his clenched fist. “See you tomorrow,” he said as he headed towards the door.  
  
“Right,” Grimsley mumbled behind him.  
  
They weren’t so close that Steve would ask him to join him out for a drink, having only been partnered together for some three weeks or so. It was Steve’s second station. Transferred to be closer to home, to Diana, but now she wanted nothing more to do with him. He should be surprised and yet he wasn’t.  
  
Nothing had changed around the station as Steve found his way outside, but for some reason every sound was either too loud or being replaced by distant thuds sounding like a steady beat. He couldn’t tell whether someone told him goodbye or if he returned the gesture; he was suddenly wound up next to his car and wondered how the hell he had gotten there.  
  
He stared at the envelope in his hand. It was creasing from the tight grip of his fist. What he wanted initially was to rip it apart, but that would only stoke the fire of the rumour mill and tomorrow everyone would know. Gossiping chicks. A synonym to the average cop.  
  
With a bang, Steve slammed the envelope onto the bonnet and gritted his teeth in a growl. He paced a few angry steps before leaning against the car, forcing himself to take several deep breaths. He wasn’t the guy to lose control. Not like this. But everything had been spinning out of control lately. First the move to Sydney, then Diana’s slowly building complaints about his work, and then the transfer to try and satisfy his wife’s demands. For the past three weeks he had figured things would be all right – he had actually gotten his hopes up. And now all of that had been for naught. Diana wanted out.  
  
Steve eyed the innocent-looking envelope disdainfully before picking it up from the bonnet and unlocking his car. Whatever he needed to do right now, it was most important to get away from here. Somewhere people didn’t know him, didn’t sympathise with him. Go somewhere and get a drink. Soliloquy and alcohol: a good way to settle his thoughts.  
  
The car fired up and rolled out of the concrete parking lot, past a couple of officers waving at him, and onto the street.  
  
He drove around for a while, letting his senses guide him instead of his head, soon realising he was far away from his comfort zone. Far away from home and work. At the first sign of a pub or bar, Steve pulled over and left the now ugly envelope in the passenger seat as he got out.  
  
It was late evening, bordering on night. Just an hour left to midnight. Still, being Thursday night and all, the pub was decently crowded, although it was a quite different crowd than Steve was used to at the local places where his colleagues hung out. Most of the people here were young, dancing in a corner to jukebox music or chatting vividly with each other around fancy tall bar tables. Steve’s first thought was ‘students’. It made him feel old, even though he was only twenty-five.  
  
A spot was open by the bar and he trudged over to it and sat down on the bar stool without the need to take an extra leap. Almost before he had turned his head towards the other side of the counter, a female bartender was in front of him.  
  
“What can I get you?” she asked pleasantly, a soft welcoming smile crossing her features, but it was the enquiring blue eyes that caught Steve’s trained attention. Intelligent, inquisitive, crackling with energy. She seemed young, probably around the age of most of the patrons here. Probably making a bit on the side while studying, Steve thought.  
  
“A beer,” Steve said, adding “please” after a second’s hesitation. He tried to smile in thanks and found it wasn’t too hard. She had an easy appearance. Welcoming and unprejudiced. Some of the churning in his stomach was forgotten as she smiled and handed him a bottle she had conjured up from somewhere.  
  
“Here you go,” she said brightly and Steve nodded thanks. She accepted the money and went to the register to change. Steve looked down into his beer before taking a large swig, tilting his head up just as she returned and put the change on the counter.  
  
“Thank you,” Steve mumbled again, trying to quell some of the tightening in his stomach as he followed her down the counter to another patron with his eyes, until suddenly checking himself.  
  
So this was how low he stooped; less than an hour since some lawyer’s assistant handed him his wife’s divorcing papers and he was already checking out someone else. Pathetic. Steve grumbled into his beer and drank it quickly, grateful when a different bartender served his next beer.  
  
One beer followed after another, and soon Steve had lost count, even though he was pretty sure it was less than his ten fingers, maybe even just one hand. The hours passed quickly, but when he looked back at it, he wondered how it was possible. During all that time, he had been trapped inside his mind, staring either at the unremarkable counter, the smiling bartender or the happy faces surrounding him as the night grew older and colder.  
  
Soon the place was thinning out and Steve looked at his watch. Just past two o’clock. Four hours since he left work. He wondered whether Diana was worried. Probably not. She was divorcing him – she couldn’t have any feelings left for him, whereas he, he thought he still loved her.  
  
Diana had been his teenage love, a fellow bushie in the big city. They’d been married for only a little more than a year, but apart from the fighting and complaints, he had been sort of happy. He had a job he loved, a woman he loved, and a nice house in a nice suburb. Now the perfect picture had crumbled and broken into a thousand pieces. He just couldn’t understand she had actually meant what she said. It had been empty threats before.  
  
It seemed as if Steve had fallen into the trap of cry wolf.  
  
Steve grimaced and drank the rest of his beer, automatically looking either way for the bartender. She stood right in front of him, bottle already in hand, her smile different but still there.  
  
How long had she stood there?  
  
“You don’t think you’ve had enough of these?” the female bartender asked gently, albeit hesitantly. Her eyes flickered between the bottle and him, revealing her unease. Did he scare her? Steve hoped not. He had had a bit to drink though, he’d admit to that. Diana had always said too much beer made him grumpy and ill-tempered. No one else thought so, though.  
  
“No,” Steve replied simply to her question, taking the bottle from her proffered hand, but halting as she took the empty one and put it away. She turned and leaned against the counter behind her, crossing her arms expectantly. “What?”  
  
“I’m waiting to see whether you’re the talking guy or the quiet guy,” she answered with a smirk. Steve paused, startled, his befuddled mind freezing as the statement filtered into clarity. Then he broke into a small smile.  
  
“And what’s your first impression?” he asked, unconsciously leaning forward on his elbows.  
  
“So far?” she asked for clarification. He nodded. “I’d say, on the outside, you’re like the quiet guy who just wants to brood and drink himself into a stupor, but I think you’re just in denial.”  
  
“Denial?” asked Steve, frowning. He hadn’t heard that one before. Diana always complained he never talked about anything; he’d just assumed that’s the way he was. But hey, she was divorcing him. That made her the enemy, right? Steve wasn’t sure, but he pushed it back as he took another gulp and trained his eyes on the young bartender.  
  
“I think you actually want to talk about whatever’s bothering you, but you don’t have anyone you trust, or you’re afraid what people will think of you.”  
  
For some reason, Steve’s stomach dropped and he had trouble hiding it. Why did that affect him so? He quickly brought the beer to his lips, looking away for a moment as he frowned. God, this was so cracked-up! Perhaps he’d had one too many. Now he was being affected by a random sheila. It made him uncomfortable.  
  
A look back at the woman told him she was a bit ill at ease as well. He’d done that. He could feel the deep frown on his face and tried to blanch – he didn’t want to scare her. That wasn’t why he was here.  
  
The silence was unbearable. Steve felt compelled to continue the conversation, probably just for her sake. “You studying Behavioural Analysis or anything?” he asked. The woman let out a small relieved laugh, shaking her head. He wasn’t quite sure why, but at least she had a nice laugh. Not like Diana’s slightly nasal one.  
  
“No. I’ve got a year in Psychology, but I’ve been around here for a while. And other places. You’re not the first I’ve seen walking through that door with a single purpose in mind.” Although she seemed excited now that he had half confirmed her theory, she suddenly halted and sank back against the counter again, a bit toned down as she spoke. “You...you don’t need to say anything. I’ve just got a little too much spare time on my hands. Sorry.” She smiled apologetically and Steve couldn’t help but smile back.  
  
“Nah, no need to apologise; I’m sure it’s a great gift you have. However, it’ll probably land you with many people’s problems.” Whether it was a mild warning, Steve didn’t know, but she only ducked her head briefly.  
  
“Oh, I don’t mind that,” she frowned. “It is part of the job – know how to talk to patrons, especially when they have something on their minds.”  
  
“So I’m just part of your job, then?” Steve rebutted and she looked alarmed and flustered before he chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m just teasing.” Her cheeks had grown a tint of rosy, but her blue eyes were sparkling and reeling him in. He cleared his throat. “So what’s your story? How did you end up here?”  
  
“You want the long version or short one?” she teased, grinning, then stepped forward and leaned on the other side of the counter. “I’m trying to figure out what to do with my life. This is one of the experiments.”  
  
“You a student?”  
  
“Was. I graduated from university a year ago. I just got back from a year in Europe. Travelling. Waitressing. Bartending in English pubs,” she added slyly, winking. “So right now I’m at a stand-still, trying to figure out what to do next.”  
  
Steve couldn’t remember ever being at a stand-still, always knowing what he wanted to do, at least up until the point Diana decided to split ways from him. Now, however, he wondered if he wasn’t at the same spot as this woman. A crossroad leading to another crossroad – that was his immediate future at the moment.  
  
“How about you? Working or studying?” she asked curiously, shifting slightly on her feet, her eyes never focussing on the same spot for long.  
  
“Why don’t you guess?” Steve grinned. “You seem like a decent judge of character. What’d you think?”  
  
She blushed briefly, obviously taken off guard, but quickly straightened with a mocking frown she couldn’t keep for long. “I’m not that good, really,” she admitted, eyes twinkling. “But I’ll give it a shot.” She paused, staring at him in scrutiny, taking in his stature in a way that made him think of his colleagues.  
  
“You’re not a student,” she said finally. “Which might mean you’re either working or unemployed. You don’t look or sound like the ones without a job I’ve seen before, so I’ll hazard a guess and say you’re working.” She raised a fine curved eyebrow in question and Steve nodded, holding back a smirk. “About profession...you carried yourself confidently when you walked through that door. You seem intelligent and attentive...and you remind me of someone...” She frowned deeper and hesitantly. “I don’t know.” She didn’t look the part, however, but Steve let it pass.  
  
“Police officer,” he supplied, taking a sip of his beer, inwardly grimacing at the thought. Well, he couldn’t take back four years of his life, but it was what he had wanted.  
  
“Oh, my dad was a cop!” she exclaimed suddenly, grinning, startling him. She saw it and immediately flushed, apologising profusely. “Sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be,” Steve told her, meaning it. She seemed so full of energy, so intelligent – she shouldn’t apologise for that. He’d love some of whatever she had for breakfast, however. “What unit is he in?”  
  
A dark look crossed her face and she seemed to retreat into herself, pushing back slightly and shifting restlessly on her feet. “He used to be in Homicide. He’s...um...he died. Years ago.” Her voice carried a tint of solemn acceptance and sorrow.  
  
“Oh,” Steve mumbled. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Yeah, me too. He was...um...well, he loved his job.” She smiled nervously and Steve felt a bit of sympathy himself. He was guarded about showing it, however, knowing what he thought of people being sympathetic towards him. “So are you a detective or in uniform?”  
  
“Uniform. For now. I’m thinking about applying for detective soon, however.”  
  
“I’m sure you’ll make it,” she told him confidently. Steve just shrugged, leaving it for other fates to decide. “But I suppose it’s not your nervousness for a job interview that brought you here tonight,” she guessed, surprising him yet again with her insight, almost to the point where he wanted to stand up and leave before she unravelled him completely.  
  
“You’ve got quite the eye,” Steve half-smiled, staring at the beer bottle in his hand, feeling less uncomfortable than when he first got here. Still, he wondered whether her assessment of him earlier was correct. Did he actually want to talk about this? It was all so raw, so fresh in his mind. He was almost certain that when he went home, Diana wouldn’t be there, and it made it all that much more real. He just wasn’t sure anymore...  
  
“You know, you don’t have to tell me anything,” the bartender said hesitantly, leaning forward on the counter. “But someone told me once I’m a good listener. Of course, he had probably pushed back a few more beers than you, but still...” She smiled and Steve chuckled, comforted by the ice-breaker.  
  
He looked around him and saw the pub, despite the hour, still had quite a few patrons. “Don’t you have work to do?”  
  
She glanced around as well, but soon shook her head. “I’m scheduled for a break soon. It’s not that busy here anyway. Paul can handle it.” By that, she gestured to her male counterpart, a stocky-built balding man who had probably years of experience under his belt by the look of him. He was off wiping some glasses fresh out of the dishwasher while talking to a couple of the patrons.  
  
On impulse, Steve nodded and smiled at her. “If you wouldn’t mind...” he drifted off. She gave him a brilliant and warm smile, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with intensity of some kind.  
  
“I wouldn’t. So tell me, what’s your story?”  
  
Steve waited for another heartbeat, breathing deeply through his nose. “My wife’s divorcing me.”  
  
She didn’t reply immediately, watching him as if deciding whether or not she should say anything. In the end, Steve’s silence made her plunge on. “I’m sorry. How long have you been married?”  
  
“Only a year,” Steve replied, kind of relieved she took charge. “But we’ve been together for longer than that.”  
  
“It must hurt,” she commented gently. Steve frowned, thinking it over. His hand was still throbbing a bit from the punch into the bonnet earlier. He hadn’t noticed because of the alcohol.  
  
“I guess, yeah,” he mumbled. “I’m not really sure anymore. It’s not a big surprise, you see. She’s made threats about it for the past few months, when we’ve argued.” Steve paused, looking into his beer as his grip around the bottle tightened. “I didn’t expect it, however.”  
  
“How can anyone expect something like that?” she returned rhetorically, smiling softly when he tilted his head up and met her understanding eyes. “So how long have you been arguing?”  
  
“I don’t know, actually,” Steve admitted slowly, frowning. “It came gradually, I guess. At first it was just now and then, but lately it’s been...it’s been every day.”  
  
“If I may say so, it sounds to me things were going down-hill for a long time,” she said.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed lowly.  
  
“So what did you fight about?”  
  
“Many things. Work, mainly. My work,” he added for clarification. She smiled sadly, her eyes simmering in a kind of understanding that only followed personal experiences.  
  
“There’s nothing as dangerous as a telephone in the middle of dinner,” she told him gently, but a pained expression crossed her face briefly. Steve began to wonder about what her story was like, and wanted to ask, but felt it wasn’t his problem. In fact, he should probably just leave it at this. She didn’t need to hear his problems; he could handle it.  
  
But the alarmed guilty look upon her face when he showed signs of getting off the stool, made him halt and reconsider. She had offered to listen. He hadn’t made her. It was just his stupid pride bothering him again.  
  
He sat down again, gripping his beer white-knuckled as an awkward silence fell over them.  
  
“So...” she started hesitantly.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he apologised. “It’s just...I’m not used to this. I don’t usually lay things off my chest to complete strangers.”  
  
She smiled. “That makes two of us. Had I been in your position, I would probably just clam up. Or get a strawberry milkshake. Works wonders.”  
  
He chuckled. “Maybe that’s an idea. Not tonight, however. Don’t think it’d go too well with the beer.”  
  
“Probably not,” she agreed with a grin.  
  
 _Such a wonderful smile,_ Steve thought, smiling too.  _Bet guys turn their heads after her._  
  
They talked for a while longer, turning to other topics as well. Safer ones, perhaps, but also some personal ones, like how he’d come from a rural background and still found it a bit difficult to adapt to city life. Even though her break had come and gone, Paul-what’s-his-face never urged her back to work, but casting a glance at his watch, Steve sobered. Well, sobered as far as he could for someone who probably shouldn’t drive until late tomorrow morning.  
  
“Hey,” he said to gain her attention; she’d turned to clear up some empty glasses and bottles standing on the counter behind her. He drained the last of his beer, saying gratefully, “Thank you. For listening.”  
  
“Hey, it’s part of the job, you know,” she teased, then smiled gently. “You’re welcome anyway. So...you’re off for home?”  
  
“Yeah. I think I’d better get in bed.”  
  
“Want me to call up a cab for you?”  
  
Logically, there was no other answer than, “Yes please”, as Steve had had too many beers to be safe in traffic. He would just have to drop by and pick up his car tomorrow.  
  
As she went off to make a phone call, Steve was left sitting thoughtfully on the bar stool. He had never imagined he would ever chat up a bartender when drunk – he had always laughed at those who had done so, feeling sorry for them and their sorry lives – but there it was, and he couldn’t change the fact he had. It felt like the final proof his life had gone to hell, but for some reason, he didn’t feel as down by the thought. Bartenders, as she had said, heard lots of stories and got a whole new perspective on people’s minds, so it wasn’t really surprising she had offered some good advice throughout their talk.  
  
Her energetic voice cut across his train of thought, “The cab will be here in five.” He looked up at her as if seeing her in a whole new light. She raised an eyebrow curiously. “What?”  
  
“I don’t think I ever asked for your name,” he said, musing. “But maybe that’s a good thing. Easier to talk someone when you’re anonymous, right?”  
  
She smiled. “Yeah, I guess that’s the basis of most therapy sessions. AA and all that.”  
  
Steve chuckled, sliding off the bar stool. “Well, thank you again. I hope you’ll find the path you want to take. Just a piece of advice, however: don’t push it. Although I’m probably not the best case example to follow, I’d say let it come to you.”  
  
“You’re not that bad,” she told him seriously, “but sure, thank you. And take care. Don’t hesitate to drop by if you ever need to talk.” She smiled as he stood to go. “And my name’s Tessa.” He turned back in surprise, meeting her blue eyes boldly.  
  
“Tessa,” Steve tested it, letting it roll off his tongue. “It suits you,” he grinned. “Well then, pleased to meet you, Tessa. The name’s Steve.”  
  
“A strong, masculine name,” Tessa mused, grinning. “Suits you,” she repeated his comment. Just then, Paul called for her and she gave Steve an apologetic smile. “That’s my call. Drive safe. Have a good night.”  
  
“The same to you,” Steve retorted.  
  
He turned as she went down the counter to serve another patron. He paused in the entrance, however, watching how she struck up a new conversation with the other patrons, leaning forward on her elbows much the same way she had done with him. It made him smile again as he exited the pub into fresh, night air.  
  
It felt as if his heart didn’t weigh as much any longer.

**FIN**


	2. Like honey to a bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another tag fic to season 1 finale "Heartstopper". Could be connected to "Heritage White Love", but not necessary. 
> 
> Tessa reflects on what Steve means to her.

**Prompt:** 040\. Sight  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
“I love your eyes.” That’s what he’d said in the ambulance, delirious from the pain inflicted on him. Tessa had thought he was drugged, but the ambulance worker claimed he hadn’t gotten any. Since then, it was all Tessa could think about. It was the closest either of them had come to express anything beyond friendship.  
  
She found she liked it. Too much for there to be anything but platonic feelings on her part. But going further than that… She had already lost her best friend Ezra when their relationship broke down at university. Did she have the guts to take the chance again?  
  
Steve meant so much more to her than Ezra had done. He was her partner. He had saved her skin several times over, he looked after her and, despite the odds that had faced them at the start, they worked seamlessly together. Tessa had been a detective for long enough to understand that partners like Steve were hard to come by. They could reach far professionally…as long as nothing messed them up, and taking a chance at something more—if she had read Steve correctly, that is—certainly qualified as a possible combustion.  
  
Finding herself dropping by his house while Steve recuperated in the hospital, Tessa couldn’t help studying the care Steve laid in his renovations. He’d wanted it to be nice, he’d said. Just like everything else. She traced the lines of wooden frames, revelling in the mystery that was her partner.  
  
The first time she learned he was doing his renovations himself, she’d been impressed. Not many would’ve done the same. She wouldn’t, at least. But Steve was a practical guy. He wanted it to be perfect. His home. Tessa would never have guessed.  
  
Rolling up her jumper sleeves, Tessa had pushed the hair out of her face and picked up the first cans of paint in her path. She’d carried them away, cleaning up as nicely as she could without disturbing too much of Steve’s memorabilia. It was the least she could do, and the most neutral until she figured out what her feelings were.  
  
Being alone in Steve’s house, surveying his home without time limit, Tessa had felt like she was learning to know her partner all over again. When she went to visit him on the hospital next, she brought him flowers and found that things were awkward on her part. She had no idea if Steve remembered what he’d said in the ambulance, but she would try to treat him as if he’d both said and not the things he did.  
  
“You okay?” he’d asked, to which Tessa had blushed embarrassedly.  
  
“I should be asking you that,” she’d retorted quickly, shifting next to the bed and adjusting the strap of her handbag. “I’m not the one who was shot.”  
  
Steve winced accordingly, touching his side, but thanks to painkillers he seemed more relaxed than usual. “I’m fine,” he’d claimed, but Tessa had only raised an eyebrow. “Okay, not quite, but I’ll get there. I know what it’s like to see your partner hurt, though…” He drifted off, but Tessa understood his intention clearly. He was still worrying about her.  
  
She couldn’t quite deal with her own part in this yet, however. “Who did you see? Barney?”  
  
“Yeah… It was the shot that finally drove him back to uniform. Wanted out of plain clothes. Bonus was he got reasonable working hours, not the stuff we’re doing.”  
  
Tessa had no reply, simply staring down at her shoes, listening to the beep of the monitors at the other side of Steve’s bed. It was comforting to hear the steady heart rhythm filtered through the machines. For a while, she’d thought she’d lost him. She’d been pretty scared, and the killer had tried to shoot her as well, but that was pushed to the background until she knew Steve was alright.  
  
“This wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to spend my leave,” groaned Steve, his voice edged with teasing.  
  
Tessa smiled. “Wanted to go to Hawaii, did you?”  
  
“Or Queensland. I could do with some sun and warmth.”  
  
“I heard Dee knew of some cheap tickets,” supplied Tessa, feeling more at ease with the topic than the previous ones. “I’d envy you, though. I’d like some warmer climate too.”  
  
“Oh yeah?” Steve quirked an eyebrow, his eyes teasing. “You could always join me, y’know. Soak some sun on the beach somewhere. I’d bet you’re a bikini girl.”  
  
Chuckling, Tessa mock-hit him, Steve simply shielding himself and laughing in response.  
  
This is what she enjoyed. Teasing, friendship, maybe even that little bit of flirting that she always associated with Steve Hayden, whom her friend Bridget claimed was like honey to a bee. Perhaps that was enough for now. If not, they had all the time in the world to figure it out.

**FIN**


	3. Heritage White Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tag to "Heartstopper". Steve comes back from the hospital and discovers...paint tins?

**Prompt:** 019\. White  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

 

"You didn't have to take me home," Steve said dryly as Tessa pulled the car door open for him and stood expectantly, almost nervously, as if she was considering whether he wanted her to lend a hand in getting out. With a grimace, he swung his legs out and stood up, noticing how her hand half shot out to grab him and then curled tensely in withdrawal.

She'd been like that for a while now. Ever since he'd woken up at the hospital after surgery and seen her pacing restlessly at the end of the bed. Steve didn't quite know what to make of it yet, or feel about it. His mind had been somewhat preoccupied lately.

  
"I could've taken a cab," Steve continued, taking the car door in hand and closing it behind him.

  
"No, no, it's no bother." Tessa waved her hand hurriedly, her eyes not quite meeting his, her smile just a little bit short of being a full true smile. "Not like there's much to do at the office. Been a dull period."

  
"Figures." Rolling his eyes, Steve found his keys and made his way up the steps to the front door. "Maybe I should've gotten shot earlier. We'd be cruising in the Bahamas by now."

  
Tessa snorted, following him inside after Steve had opened the door. He flicked on the light switch and threw the keys on the kitchen table, then headed towards the sink for a glass of water.

  
He stopped once he got there, though. Lined up on the countertop were empty tins standing on old newspapers, containing an assortment of paint brushes both new and old. All were distinctly clean. Frowning, Steve turned back and saw Tessa stand next to a stack of paint tins that hadn't been there before, shifting on her feet nervously.

  
"Heritage White, right?" Tessa pulled her lower lip between her teeth and gave a hesitant smile, gesturing obviously to the tins. "Dino's Hardware called while I dropped by last week to get your things. They told me you'd been looking at it and I remember you saying you wanted it to look nice..."

  
Steve didn't know what to say. He kept frowning, noticing there were other signs of change as well. Sawdust had been swept up, the cushions on the couch seemed fluffed up, the bed was made, and there was an air of freshness Steve only associated with his mother's spring cleaning extravaganza.

  
Tessa got a little frantic. "Um, I didn't know how much you needed, so...I might've overdone it." She chuckled nervously. "Uh, I've got the receipt, though." She started ruffling through her pockets, drawing up a long strip of paper, and smiled again. "Here. Um. I'll just put it here." Taking a few careful steps, she laid the receipt down next to his keys on the kitchen table.

  
"You bought me paint?" Steve's eyebrows knitted deeper together, still hung up on that single fact when it was clear she'd done so much else as well. There'd hardly been a day in hospital without her popping by to check on him.

  
"Uh...yep." Tessa looked away, hands at her back as she shifted on her feet again. The bottom lip had found its way into her mouth again. After a moment's pause, she met his eyes and smiled a little. "Consider it a Get Well or Welcome Home present. Didn't have time to write a card."

  
"Thanks," Steve said and finally grinned, feeling a comfortable warmth spread throughout his body as the shock passed. "I think I  _do_  need to get shot at more often."

  
"Well, I hope not," Tessa said, rolling her eyes, smirking slightly as she pointed to the paint tins. "That cost me a fortune."

  
Steve forgot about his aching wound as he continued to smile. "I'm sorry, I'll pay you back. Promise."

  
"Yeah, yeah." Tessa waved her hand dismissively, some of her tense nervousness clearly gone now. Her shoulders relaxed a little and her smile felt more real and happier than before. "Just get better and maybe next time, you'll call me if you're gonna chase down leads on your own?"

  
"I just took a leaf outta your book, Tess," Steve teased and chuckled when she rolled her eyes again. Approaching her, he noticed how she tensed up slightly, but pushed the observation to the back of his head as he leaned down in front of the paint tins and confirmed the name on the labels.

  
"So which wall's the lucky one?" Tessa asked.

  
Steve gestured around them. "Whole room. Gonna look great once it's up." He rose to his feet, wincing slightly as the pain flared at movement, then met Tessa's eyes, which had clearly observed the wince and was now worried. "It'll have to wait, though. Not a whole lot of energy right now."

  
"Maybe you should get some rest," Tessa suggested, her expression soft. "I'll get out of your hair. Thorne's probably waiting for me back at the office."

  
"Hey, Tess?" Steve held her back before she could leave. He smiled at her, touched by all she'd done for him so far, especially given how badly he'd treated her during the Glen Weekes case. "Thank you. I mean it."

  
"You're welcome," Tessa said gently, her smile brightening up the room. "And let me know once you get started on those walls. I'm not that good with a paint brush, but at least I can clean them for you."

  
"I will, thanks." Steve let his hand linger on her arm a second longer, then became aware of it and withdrew, still smiling. "Drive safe."

  
"Okay."

  
Steve waved her off with another smile, then let it drop after the door closed and he was left in his living room, alone once more.

  
A slight tint of colour had risen in Tessa's cheeks when he'd removed his hand. She'd looked beautiful.

  
Steve sighed and walked to his bed and sat down. From here, he could see all the little touches she'd done to freshen up his home and make it inviting to return to, but all of them faded to the background as he stared at the Heritage White paint tins she'd bought him.

As he lay down to rest, that's all he was able to think about.

 

**FIN**


	4. Pokéthings...or whatever they're called

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Steve really didn’t see the fascination with it. All it did was make Tessa look really stupid waving her phone around the office, then grin suddenly and direct it right at him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After chatting with tempe_brennandr on LJ, this funny little plot bunny decided to visit. Probably not entirely in character, but good for a laugh, right?

**Prompts:** 043\. Square  
 **Rating:**  G

* * *

  
Steve really didn’t see the fascination with it. All it did was make Tessa look really stupid waving her phone around the office, then grin suddenly and direct it right at him.  
  
“Don’t you have a report to write?” he asked with a deep sigh.  
  
Tessa didn’t seem to hear him, or she intentionally ignored him. “Oh look, he’s sitting on your nose.” She pressed a button and Steve heard the camera click, making him roll his eyes again. Grinning, she flipped the phone so he could see. “Cute, isn’t it?”  
  
Honestly, he had no idea what he was looking at. It was brightly orange and fluffy, and it looked more like the kind of cartoon sticker kids usually put on their stuff.  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Annoyed, Steve waved it away and pointed to the piles of folders on their desks. “Can we get back to work,  _please_?”  
  
“Killjoy.” Tessa rolled her eyes, took a moment to swipe her thumb across the touch screen, made a small victory grin at whatever happened, and then finally switched off her phone. “You need some more fun in your life, Steve.”  
  
“Really?” Steve raised an eyebrow sarcastically. “ _You_ want to go there, Miss I-wish-we-could-get-a-body-in-a-field-so-we’d-get-out-more?”  
  
Rolling her eyes again, Tessa shook her head and thankfully picked up the folder she’d been ignoring for the past ten minutes. Satisfied, Steve focused on his own work.

* * *

  
“Thank you so much for your time, Mrs Stuart.” Finding a business card in his pocket, Steve held it out to the distraught woman standing in front of her house. “If you can think of anything else, please give us a call, all right?”  
  
Mrs Stuart nodded tearfully. “Of course. Thank you, Detective.”  
  
Steve nodded curtly and turned around as she closed the front door behind him. It was difficult meeting a victim’s loved ones. Their pain always resonated with him. With practiced discipline, he shook it off, however, and walked down the path to the street where Tessa waited.  
  
“So,” he began, but Tessa cut him off with an “Ooh!” and promptly disappeared down the alley nearby. Thinking it might be one of her intuitive leaps, he followed, shoulders tensing slightly for what might lie at the other end of that path.  
  
Halfway down the alley, she suddenly stopped…which is when he realised she had her phone in her hand and was pointing it at a nearby trash can. From this angle, he could see there was another one of those cartoon animals on the screen, seemingly resting on top of the trash can, and Tessa’s thumb was spinning some sort of ball around.  
  
“Are you  _kidding_ me?” Exasperated, Steve slung his arms out before placing them promptly on his sides, a glare on his face. “Tessa, we’re right outside her _parents_ ’ house! Don’t you have any decency?”  
  
Tessa made a frustrated noise, but it became apparent that it wasn’t a response to him, but rather something happening on her screen. “It got away.”  
  
“This is  _stupid_ ,” Steve snapped and stalked back to their car, fuming. She’d been playing that damn game for  _weeks_ and it’d been interfering with their work for at least two. Perhaps he should be surprised she hadn’t pulled it out while they were talking to the victim’s parents.  
  
For a moment, he felt tempted just leaving her there, but she flung the car door open before he could start the ignition. Rather than getting in, however, she opened the glove compartment and pulled out some evidence bags.  
  
“What, those little Poke-balls weren’t enough and you need a real bag to capture them?”  
  
Tessa actually sent him a glare. “There’s a woman’s handbag in that trashcan. Looks like Lucy’s.”  
  
That shut him up. Fisting his hands around the steering wheel, Steve pursed his lips, counted to five, then followed Tessa back to the alley and the trashcan in question. And sure enough, Lucy’s handbag turned out to be in there, buried beneath a couple of trash bags.  
  
Tessa held the evidence bag up triumphantly. “Wouldn’t have found this if I hadn’t had  _this_.” In her other hand, she held up her phone, which displayed the game she’d been playing earlier.  
  
Suddenly, it made a little ding and something that looked like…an egg…popped up on the screen with a little accompanying ‘Oh?’ written above it.  
  
Tessa grinned. “Oh, it finally hatched!”  
  
Silently, Steve rubbed his face in his hand.

* * *

“I finally managed to snatch Snorlax last night,” Dee was telling Tessa, eagerly holding up her phone. “That bugger’s been evading me for months! Just ten more and I’ll have found them all!”  
  
Steve shook his head as Tessa gushed and the two women entered into a friendly competition – which wasn’t the first time – over who had collected the coolest Pokethings or whatever they were called. Here he was, thirty-odd and soon to be taking his Sergeant’s exams, and he might as well have been working in a kindergarten. Half the detectives on this floor were waving their phones around these days and didn’t even seem embarrassed about it.  
  
At least Fisk and Thorne seemed to be on his side. Then again, neither of them had made the transition into smartphones yet, so they hardly knew what an app was anyway.  
  
Staring around his desk, Steve couldn’t find anything urgent that needed his attention and instead allowed himself a moment to check his messages and personal e-mails on his phone. While scrolling down his Facebook feed, half of his friends were boasting or complaining about that dratted game, but he was – he hated to admit it – getting used to it.  
  
What was the attraction anyway? Steve couldn’t understand it. It was just some Japanese cartoon, as far as he knew, but the whole world seemed to be going crazy with it. Tessa had always argued that it was just another incentive for her to get out of the house and explore areas she hadn’t been before, and she’d frequently talked about some of the city sights she’d visited that she hadn’t before.  
  
Steve bit his lip and opened the App Store on his phone, finding the app immediately on the front page under Recommended Free Games. Five stars, it’d gotten. Raving reviews, as well, though a few complaints too.  
  
It was just a stupid little game, wasn’t it? A gimmick, maybe? A PR stunt?  
  
Steve’s thumb brushed the side of his phone.

  


* * *

  
Another bright morning. Another night dreaming of finally catching the elusive Pikachu. Tessa pushed the glass doors open with her back, careful not to jostle the two cups of takeaway coffees in her hands.  
  
When she turned around, expecting to see Steve at his usual spot by his desk, she was surprised to see he wasn’t there. His jacket was slung over his chair, though, so he was somewhere nearby. Maybe he’d popped by Fisk’s lab or gone to the loo or something.  
  
Shrugging, Tessa went over and put Steve’s coffee down before finding her own seat. Seeing as it wasn’t quite eight yet, she allowed herself a moment to put her feet up and check her phone. Pokémon Go was already running; she’d gotten a 10km egg that she wanted to hatch and every little metre helped.  
  
She sat there for a few minutes, sipping her coffee, before Steve suddenly exited the interview room.  
  
Unusually, his phone was in his hand and he was grinning. When she heard an unmistakable tone, Tessa couldn’t grin any wider than she did and she stared at him in knowing astonishment as he walked past her and sat down, seemingly without noticing her.  
  
When he finally became aware of her, Steve frowned. “What?”  
  
“You downloaded it,” Tessa said with a laugh.  _Was that a blush on his face?_  
  
Steve stared right back at her, his tone neutral. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
  
Tessa wouldn’t have any of that, though. Getting to her feet, she sauntered over and settled on the edge of his desk, taking note of how he seemed to unconsciously draw back a little. Just like guilty suspects did in the interrogation room.  
  
“So what’d you get?” Tessa craned her neck, but Steve had already put his phone in standby mode. “Plenty of Drowzees around this building. I’m sure it’s a sort of social commentary or something.”  
  
“Oh, you got coffee. Thanks.” Picking up the cup, Steve turned away very noticeably and Tessa laughed out loud.  
  
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she said, nudging him playfully in the shoulder before returning to her seat. “Everyone does it, you know.”  
  
Steve didn’t reply, but the way he surreptitiously took his phone with him wherever he went that day spoke louder than a thousand words.  
  
He wouldn’t live that one down easily.  
  
 **FIN**


	5. Dream Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tag fic to 2x16 “A View to Kill”. Steve's thoughts as he stares outside the window at the end of the episode.

**Prompt:**  015. Blue  
**Rating:**  G

* * *

Outside, the rain tapped against the window panes with the sort of mournful sound that caused his melancholy to seep to the surface in a drawn-out sigh. Steve let his forehead touch the cool glass, his eyes no longer seeing the ripples that blurred the outside world from his view. Instead, he recalled his path to this moment.  
  
Tessa’s comment about a crime scene in a field so they’d get out more. His disbelief that she might want something like that, then shrugging it off with a smile as just another of those quirky Tessa Vance oddities that made her who she was.  
  
Tessa’s vocal train of thought as she considered the name ‘San Cristobel’ in relation to their victim. His pleasure at seeing her work out the problem at hand, testing out various intonations to jumpstart that brain of hers and including him in the process.  
  
Tessa’s smile as she wondered if he wasn’t interested in what drew people together. His realisation that ‘yes, he was’ and that his ever-lasting mystery was sitting right in front of him, especially when she joked about the sex life on the deserted island and gave him that teasing smirk of hers.  
  
The killer’s heart-breaking story of broken promises and lost dreams. His half-remembered but not forgotten vision of a homestead overlooking a valley of green, far away from the reaches of civilisation and the brutality of Man…  
  
It still played out in front of his eyes: that untouched blanket of impossibly green life he remembered from his childhood, that quiet house with a front porch where he could look out on the valley as the sun set calmly on the mountains…  
  
But all of a sudden, the solitude of that setting didn’t feel contented anymore. Instead, it felt lonely, and had been from the moment he’d told Tessa  _‘You’d hate it’._  
  
Steve exhaled heavily once more and stepped away from the window, jacket still slung over his shoulder.  
  
“You okay?” Still standing by her desk, Tessa’s previous smile had turned into a frown, her eyebrows creased in friendly worry.  
  
“Yeah,” he said and tried to cover up his resignation with familiar humour. “Maybe an island life would suit you better. Soaking in the sun, drinking daiquiris, taking skinny dips…”  
  
Tessa chuckled slightly. “Sounds nice too, except for the last part.”  
  
“Ah, and here I thought you were the adventurous type,” Steve teased as they fell in step with each other on their way out.  
  
“Shows how little you know,” Tessa said and nudged him lightly with her shoulder, her smile back in its familiar spot on her face.  
  
_You’re right about that. Or maybe it’s that I’m starting to know too much. You’re not a complete mystery anymore._  
  
Those thoughts sobered him, but Steve pushed the feeling down with familiar ease, choosing instead the sense of camaraderie and good-natured teases Tessa’s presence spawned. It followed them all the way down to the ground floor where they exited into the busy evening street and were forced together under Tessa’s umbrella to escape the rain.  
  
As they crossed the street and walked down towards the Moon  & Stars bar, however, Tessa’s voice changed tone. “I’d come visit you, you know. At the homestead.”  
  
The words were uttered so gently, so lowly, that he almost failed to catch them over the sounds of traffic. And once he did, his surprise kept him stunned for a moment.  
  
“Just don’t make me feed the cows…” Tessa added, an undertone of nervousness beneath her teasing. “Or ride a horse.”  
  
Steve chuckled. “Then I guess the only remaining option is to go hiking. I’m sure I could find some rocks for you to climb…” With a grin, he nudged her gently with his shoulder. “Spiderwoman.”  
  
“I’m never going to live that one down, am I?” Tessa rolled her eyes, which only caused Steve’s grin to widen.  
  
And with that small, insignificant action, he forgot all about his sense of isolation from earlier. The world was right once more.  
  
**FIN**


	6. Next to you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On those days when things are bad, it’s good to have someone next to you.

**Prompt:** 021\. Friends  
 **Rating:** Teen

 **Warning:** Mentions of child abuse.  
  


* * *

  
Tootsie met her eyes when she stepped into the crowded bar later that night. The music was loud and the people milling about, bumping into her and making her way a bit difficult to traverse. In the end she came up to where Tootsie sat alone by the bar table, the other chairs obviously occupied but currently vacated. It wasn’t possible to see the others.  
  
“Where’s the others?” she asked in a way of greeting, wringing off her suit jacket. It was hot and stuffy, as it had been all day. A bright sunny day, only one of many this summer.  
  
“Dee somehow managed to get Lance into a game,” smiled Tootsie wryly, nodding in direction of the pool tables where the redhead was currently whooping in joy at her pertinent boss, who stood with the cue in hand as if he had no idea how to use it but pretended he did. “Steve’s...” the pathologist drifted off with a sigh, looking over her shoulder towards the bar. Tessa could only just make out a familiar back slumped against the bar counter.  
  
“Is he all right?” she asked, worried. She hadn’t seen him all day, being caught up in a meeting with the DA on an upcoming trial. By Tootsie’s continued expression, Tessa got even more concerned.  
  
“What do you know about the case he was working on?”  
  
Tessa racked her brains for an answer, shifting on the stool while Tootsie sipped the remnants of her red wine dubiously.  
  
“Wasn’t he doing a murder-suicide downtown?” asked Tessa. The other woman nodded, her blonde curls shaking in the action. Tessa felt her stomach churn uncomfortably, already feeling the ominous air of whatever bothered her partner today.  
  
“He was,” said Tootsie, “but it’s developed from there. I don’t know all the details, but Dee came to me today quite upset because they had stumbled into an abuse case regarding a young boy. In her words, it wasn’t pretty.”  
  
The grimace on the pathologist’s face settled on Tessa’s as well, now that she understood completely what was going on. She knew only too well how horrible those cases were. It broke your heart, unless you managed to keep it under wraps and stay clear-headed. Odd how their roles always reversed in those situations, she thought.  
  
Tootsie sent another look towards the figure at the bar that, even with other patrons squeezed so close to him, managed to seem in complete isolation from the world. Her fingers were playing with the wine glass, as they tended to do once she got restless or uncertain.  
  
Tessa sat quietly alternating her stare between her two closest friends, knowing what she wanted to do and what she had to do. There was nobody else, and Tootsie knew that as well. Even so, she had probably already tried to talk with him without any success. That’s just the way she was. Either distant or in the middle of things, but she was learning where to tread in certain situations.  
  
“I’ll go get myself a drink,” said Tessa finally, slipping off the tall bar stool. She didn’t have to explain herself, really, Tootsie already knew, but it was all part of the game. Keep up pretences and stay professional. In their line of work, most things were left unsaid.  
  
The short trip to the bar was nearly as difficult as getting to the table earlier, if not harder due to the density of people milling around the bar in wait of drinks or their turn to order. She could see the dark suit hanging off hunched shoulders, the forward-leaning upper body most likely defending the drink in his hands against the pushing of other patrons.  
  
She hated this. She would probably go through water and fire for him, but doing the touchy-feeling business was one aspect of their relationship they never got around to much. It was self-imposed rules and many nights she nearly wished things were different, but the train had long since gone and there was nothing more she could other than being there for him in any way she was allowed. He came through for her in her moments of need; it was only proper she do the same for him.  
  
A spot opened next to him and Tessa squeezed into the tight quarters between him and a burly man with a wide girth, smiling and greeting as lightly as she could, “Hi.”  
  
The fact he didn’t respond set her on edge.  
  
Shit. This must have been a really bad one.  
  
“So what’re you having?” asked Tessa as she saw the beer in front of him was empty. “Beer or something stronger?” He still didn’t reply, but Tessa could not say anything further as a bartender popped up and wondered what she wanted. “Mm, yeah, I’ll have a glass of water and—“ she cast a glance at her partner again. “—No, make that two Scotch. Double.”  
  
As the bartender moved off, Tessa resolutely kept her stare on his action instead of glancing sideways at her partner. By now he knew what she was doing, and regardless of his previous unresponsiveness, he would react in some way or another. Her spine was taut and her neck tensing, but she would see it through. The bartender returned with their whiskeys and went off with his money. Whatever it took, she thought grimly as she pushed the glass of whiskey towards her partner and took the other for herself, sniffing the contents dubiously.  
  
The glass stood untouched in front of him for the first few moments as Tessa did her best to settle down next to him, sipping the strong alcohol for lack of anything else to do. Then his hand went down and led it up to his thin, lined lips.  
  
“I know what you’re trying to do,” he said finally, setting the glass down with half its contents gone, his face carefully schooled into the expression she was getting so used to seeing. He didn’t immediately touch the whiskey again, arms leaning seemingly relaxed on the counter, his shoulders taut and his eyes on the non-descript coaster underneath the glass.  
  
Tessa took her time, sipping once more before copying his move, setting the glass down but holding on to it for a kind of support. She looked at his features, noticing the slightly gaunt and haunted look behind the stony expression he wore. It was getting easier to read him, but that might be due to their four-year partnership rather than any human language skills on her part.  
  
“You do?” she retorted slowly, keeping the emotions at bay, trying to be off-handed even though he saw right through her. A ghost of a smile crossed his face before drowning in the grimness.  
  
“Yeah,” he said again, still looking at the coaster. “You’re uncomfortable with it, but you’re nevertheless giving it a try. Even going a bit out of your way,” he added meaningfully and shot a quick glance at the whiskey in her hands. Tessa smiled briefly.  
  
“It’s not that bad. I’ve been around worse stuff than this.” She didn’t offer any further explanation, even though he seemed to perk up a bit—he did enjoy learning things about her, as she did with him—and instead took another sip just for measure. It burned down her throat and she half forced down the involuntary grimace, but not without him catching her in the act.  
  
A small chuckle escaped his lips and Tessa felt her insides soar a bit higher.  
  
“So...you wanna talk?” she asked apprehensively once the moment had calmed down and lapsed into another slightly awkward atmosphere, albeit a lighter one than before. She was careful not to stare at him too long, knowing it bothered him to be under scrutiny.  
  
Steve’s hands wrapped around the whiskey glass and his knuckles whitened slightly. Then he sighed, relinquishing his grip.  
  
“I found a boy today,” he began quietly, his voice monotone and distant. “We were doing a surprise visit to one of the suspects. Caught him...” he paused, unable to go on.  
  
Tessa felt the ominous feeling return and half wished she had never wanted to hear what he had to say. But now she was here and she had made a promise. Whatever it took. Just one more smile, even if it hurt.  
  
“There was a boy in the room and another man. The boy...he couldn’t have been more than eight. Terrified but not making a sound. So brave, even with tears on his face and that...beast...doing things to him.” His voice pitched, growing more heated under the influence of an unspecified amount of alcohol. “And that other man... He was leering. Leering! Can you imagine that? His mate is abusing this little kid in front of him and he enjoys it! Was probably looking forward to his turn when I banged the door open.”  
  
The difference in pronoun made Tessa alarmed. Steve had been first inside that room. First to see the scene.First to react. She couldn’t help herself.  
  
She laid a hand upon his, gripping it tightly.  
  
“Steve...” she began, shaking him out of his stupor, his glazed eyes shifting until they landed on her face and transformed underneath her gaze. Clear, dark eyes, nearly brimming with a film of liquid, so naked and...vulnerable.  
  
It had been a very long time since she had last seen it. Steve’s inner personality, the one he kept under strict control lest he lose himself. They all did—keeping himself or herself distant in one way or another—but Steve always prided himself in being the most clear-headed. It made it so easy to forget that underneath all those layers, he was perhaps the most soft-hearted of them.  
  
“Why do people do that, Tessa?” asked Steve, his voice broken and soft, his hand lax in hers, not responding to the tight grip. “I don’t understand it.”  
  
Tessa felt her heart break, both for the boy who had had his childhood ripped away from him and her partner. She relaxed her grip and brushed her thumb across his knuckles.  
  
“We can’t understand it,” she said softly. “If we do, we’re already down at their level. You can’t sink down there. You’re not meant to.”  
  
Steve didn’t reply, staring down into his whiskey glass for several long moments until he suddenly shifted to stare mesmerised at the thumb stroking his hand. Tessa felt a blush heat up her cheeks and made to withdraw, but he returned the grip and looked at her.  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
The quiet acknowledgement warmed her and made her neck lose its tightness, though her stomach seemed to drop instantly. She smiled at him.  
  
“Anytime.”  
  
“So...are you gonna finish your drink?” he asked with a twitch of the lips. Tessa openly grimaced. “I take that as a no.”  
  
“I don’t even know what possessed me to order it,” Tessa responded with a brief smile, pushing the glass in his direction instead. “Here. You need it more than I do.”  
  
Steve chuckled. “I can’t argue with that.”  
  
He accepted it, downing first his half-empty glass and then Tessa’s nearly full one. Their hands were still entwined and Tessa found herself consciously reluctant to withdraw. It gave her comfort and, maybe, it did so for him as well. Meeting his eyes again, seeing a sparkle of life flash in them above the quirky grin crossing his lips, Tessa supposed it did.  
  
 **FIN**


	7. So damn stupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tag fic to "A Blow to the Heart", as challenged by the wonderful tempe_brennandr on LJ. Supposed to be 500 words or less... Well, that didn't happen. Set at the end of the episode.

**Prompts:**  098. Stupid  
 **Rating:**  G  
 ****

* * *

_**Music:**  "Alive" by Jorge Méndez_

  
Her heels echoed hollowly in the empty corridors. Behind her, she'd heard Steve call her name, but Tessa couldn't answer him. Didn't know what to say, didn't know if she'd handle whatever look he had in his eyes, whatever platitudes he wanted to give.  
  
God, she'd been so stupid. Even after all these years, she didn't learn. And the worst part was that neither Steve nor Thorne had called her on it like she deserved. They'd just summed up the facts that'd led them - that'd led  _her_  - to the disastrous event downstairs.  
  
If only she'd taken Carl down to Homicide instead of doing a semi-reenactment thing...  
  
God,  _so damn stupid_!  
  
Walking up the stairs, Tessa's hand slammed down on the railing and her feet began to speed up. her heart thumping hard. It felt like a painful echo in an otherwise empty chest and she could feel the burn in her eyes, the tell-tale signs that soon she'd be reduced to tears.  
  
Again.  
  
Always, _always_ , so damn stupid! And all she could do about it was cry. Pathetic.  
  
Tessa hardly registered the ambulance, the uniforms - all the people signifying her failure - as she walked single-mindedly to the car, intent on driving right out of here. She wanted distance, wanted  _something_ , but as she grabbed the door handle, it wouldn't budge. The resistance mocked her, taunted her inadequacies, her helplessness, and she pulled it again...again... _again_...until she was slamming it against the door, the other hand clenched into a fist upon the car window, her foot desperate to kick the tire, the car,  _anything_.  
  
She could feel the panic setting in, the air struggling to reach her lungs, the intense urge to lash out. Soon she was gasping, half hyperventilating, and she abruptly let go of the door handle to run a hand through her hair, her eyes burning and her vision blurring.  
  
She sensed Steve before she noticed him. Heard his words of concern filter through the cloud surrounding her mind, heard herself give some sort of lame excuse, and heard him solve that ridiculous issue of car keys so easily. So effortlessly.  
  
It was a laugh, but the sound wouldn't come. Instead, she wanted to cry and she couldn't. Not with him there, not when she was sitting behind the wheel, almost speeding down the alternatively empty and busy streets until they reached the underground parking garage of Central Homicide.  
  
All the while, she could feel his eyes upon her - observing her, seeing through her - and Tessa felt naked. Exposed. Vulnerable. And she hated the feeling. She wanted to be strong, damn it. Not a rookie making stupid mistakes.  
  
Maybe it'd be better if he'd chewed her out, but he didn't. Instead, Steve just sat there as she shut the ignition off, waiting, eyes still on her. All around them, the parking garage was empty and dim. It was like they were wrapped up in their own private world.  
  
"Tess...you couldn't have known."  
  
She inhaled sharply, hands clenching slightly around the steering wheel, feeling her precarious control begin to slip; feeling the words slip past her lips unwillingly. "I should've."  
  
"You didn't make the decision on your own."  
  
"But we could've done it back at Homicide." Exhaling evenly, Tessa felt her heart pounding against her ribs, the encompassing sense of hollowness pervading every part of her. She closed her eyes to stave off the burn, even as she knew it wouldn't work.  
  
He had that effect on her. She should've just run. Now she was trapped and sinking fast.  
  
Steve's hand reached out to touch her shoulder. "Could've, would've, should've. It doesn't matter, Tess. We can't control everything. If you start letting this job get to you..."  
  
He didn't say it, but he didn't need to. Tessa understood. Ever since Tootsie had nearly been killed by a stalker, she'd sensed the underlying tension, the frustrated subtext, in all Steve said and did. He knew what it was like when the job got to them. She'd been meaning to talk to him about it, but there hadn't been time or opportunities for that kind of heavy talk.  
  
And this wasn't the time either.  
  
Biting her lip, Tessa began to cry, the sob torn from her lips, and Steve's hand tightened on her shoulder, reminding her he was there.  
  
As he always was...no matter how stupid she'd been.

**FIN**


	8. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I tried to look nice...I didn't want you to find me like this." Set before "Broken".

**Prompts:** 018\. Black  
 **Rating:** T

 **Warning:** reference to abuse)

* * *

  
The dulled shouts seemed to filter through the padded walls, signalling through her weak consciousness that help had finally arrived. A tired smile played on her lips until she remembered who was probably coming; who was probably out of his mind with worry, just like she'd been so many times for him.  
  
Struggling to push her elbows beneath her, the woman rolled over and landed on her side, groaning at the strain. The leg throbbed in its odd angle, the same as her shoulder, but pain had become a second layer now, pushed back by the cold numbness. In a vain attempt, she shakily reached up with her good hand and brushed the sticky bangs away from her face.  
  
The hand fell down heavily as the door suddenly banged open and light streamed in on her. Squinting, she could make out a couple of silhouettes before she had to give in and close her eyes. A voice called out, but she couldn’t make out the words. The ground was shaking with friction from heavy boots.  
  
She was slipping further away involuntarily when a jacket was laid over her tormented naked skin and a soft hand caressed her face. Her beaten, bloody face. Looking up through a swollen eye, she felt her heart skip a beat when she met his gentle, tired eyes. Her good hand was found by his, squeezing tightly, not letting go.  
  
“I tried to look nice,” she whispered, the only clear thought in her mind right now. “I didn’t want you to find me...like this.”  
  
It only elicited a sad smile followed by a stronger grip on her hand, grounding her, connecting them. It brought tears to her eyes, blurring her vision, and her chest ached hollowly.  
  
“You’ll always look nice, Tess,” he replied softly, bringing another hand up to support her head as he shifted and laid her in his lap.  
  
Distantly, she could feel the blood coursing through his veins, telling tales of the adrenaline and rush he’d just been through. But right now she didn’t care for that. Warmth was seeping through the fabric separating them. It felt nice. This room was cold. Empty. Soulless. So full of pain.  
  
Not him. Not anymore. He was safe.  
  
She could feel her body already dragging her away, luring her into its grips, and willed herself to stay aware, stay focused. It was difficult. “Did you...get him?”  
  
There was a pause before he replied, “Yes. He won’t hurt anyone anymore.” Clutching her hand again tightly and with a touch of thickness, he added in a mumble, “He won’t hurt you anymore.”  
  
Silence fell after that, neither having words for the emotions churning in them. The pain was kicking in again, making her groan, startling her partner and making him worried. She tried to assure him it would be okay, but she might be more convincing had she not looked the way she felt.  
  
The fact she wasn't in hysterics said it all, really. There was no energy for it. She was so...tired.  
  
“Where’s the damn paramedics?” he called out the door to someone she couldn’t see through her blurred vision.  
  
Malcolm’s voice came back, “They’re on their way. Should be here any minute now.”  
  
The Inspector's mighty silhouette showed in the doorway, blocking the light somewhat. Tessa couldn’t see his expression, but guessed it was something akin to Steve’s. Not that she could blame them. She knew what she most likely looked like. She knew they'd eventually start blaming themselves, but she was too tired to tell them otherwise. Too tired to say it was her fault for not calling back-up. Her fault for thinking she could take on a potential serial killer on her own.  
  
She hadn't learned a damn thing, and she knew they had to be thinking the same thing.  
  
“I wanna go home...”  
  
So broken. She could hear it, feel it, and she was ashamed of it as the words passed her dry, chapped lips.  
  
Throat choked, Tessa closed her eyes so she wouldn’t see those sad, gentle eyes directed at her ugly, swollen visage. It felt like being stabbed through the heart with ice needles, and she'd had enough of pain. She just wanted to sleep and forget it all.  
  
Steve’s hand tightened on hers, never relinquishing its grip as Tessa felt darkness press onto the corners of her consciousness. It was the only constant in the world of nothingness, even as she slipped away and fell silent.  
  


**TBC next chapter**


	9. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As police officers, they never knew what they might meet beyond the next corner. Set after "Rescue".

**Prompt:** 071\. Broken  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
  
As police officers, they never knew what they might meet beyond the next corner. In his years as a cop, Steve Hayden almost wanted to say he had seen it all, or at least all that he wanted to see. There were some things his imagination could drag up that he never, ever wanted to experience.  
  
He had seen plenty of sickos, of psychopaths and sociopaths, of dysfunctional families, and whatever. Sometimes they lingered as ghostly memories in the night, but mostly he blocked them all out. All the bad and gruesome things he had seen were locked away in compartments for a drab, black day.  
  
Yet for all his compartmentalisation skills, Steve would never block the sight of his partner’s cowering, naked form huddled against cold stone, her hair bloody in the light of his torch. And her eyes…wide, large, beautiful eyes that stared at him with such fright that Steve felt his foundation threatening to crumble beneath his feet.  
  
He had not known what had lain beyond the basement door, whether she had been killed like the other girls or just…he could not bring himself to say it. Even as Steve sat in one of the extremely uncomfortable hospital chairs, waiting his turn, he desperately tried to forget that truth he had covered with his own jacket down in that basement.  
  
“Steve?” It was Tootsie, standing before him looking calm and in control, yet her eyes were a bit bright with unshed tears. “Aren’t you gonna see her?”  
  
“Yeah, I am.” He rose to his feet, feeling heavy and weighed down. Tootsie gave his shoulder a brief squeeze, probably meant to be comforting. “Has she—has she said anything?”  
  
Tootsie looked down with a sniffle. “No. She’s still catatonic. The doctor was going to give her something to sleep on.”  
  
“I’d better hurry in, then,” said Steve, offering her a smile that was anything but sincere. “I’ll see you later?”  
  
“Yes, I’m just popping by Tessa’s place and fetching some things, then I’ll be back.”  
  
“Okay. See you.”  
  
“Steve?” Tootsie gained his attention. “It’s not your fault. It’s Rick Myers. Remember that.”  
  
Steve turned and went down the corridor, hating the smell of the place. Sick people went to the hospital. Wounded people went to the hospital. Dying people went to the hospital. Tessa was not supposed to be here, and yet she was. There was nothing Steve could have done to change that.  
  
And yet he hated himself even more because of that. If he had just skipped that quick trip home… If he had just dropped that phone call… Tessa wouldn’t have been out on her own, following a hot tip without backup.  
  
Steve paused in the doorway of Tessa’s room. She looked frail. Her face bruised, swollen, bandaged and stitched several places. Her right shoulder in a cast after having been dislocated. Her right ankle twisted. Anything else was covered by the hospital issue gown and crisply white sheets, thank God!  
  
This was not supposed to be her. She was not supposed to be in this position. She was a cop! She was—she was…  
  
Steve closed his eyes and tried to calm his raging heart. When he opened them, Tessa was staring right at him beneath bruised and swollen eyelids.  
  
“Hey,” he smiled, stepping inside the room and walking slowly to her side. “How’re you feeling?”  
  
She didn’t say anything, but she raised her free hand towards him. Somehow understanding, Steve grasped it in his and nearly cried at how quickly she lost strength in her arm. He squeezed her hand harder, reaching up with his other hand to brush imaginary hair out of her face, ending up stroking her cheek softly.  
  
She could barely keep her eyes open, but the hint of a smile touched her lips at Steve’s touch. It encouraged him and he suddenly felt desperate for contact with this frail, vulnerable woman who was normally so strong and independent. He sat down on the edge of the bed, never taking his eyes off her, and grasped her hand while stroking her skin.  
  
Silence fell over the room, with only the occasional beep from a machine. Steve lost track of time as he watched Tessa slowly drift off into sleep, only a small frown on her face. He continued to squeeze her hand until the nurse came in and told him visiting hours were over. With great reluctance, Steve watched Tessa turn in her sleep after the loss of his touch, and was pained to see her frown deepen.  
  
 _I’m so sorry, Tessa. I’m so sorry…_  
  
It pained him to see her broken. Even with no tears, there was no doubt about it. This was not his partner lying there. It was a heavy brutalised woman, who sought comfort from an old friend, and was pained when he left. Tessa had joined the many faces that haunted him at night. Her broken eyes brought Steve out of his nightmares with a cry.  
  
But he would be back the next day, and the day after that. Even if she was broken, he would try to fix her. He would make it right again.

**FIN**


	10. Sleepless nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kind of tag fic to "Dead Clean". Tessa cannot sleep.

**Prompt:**  045. Moon  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
Tessa stood on the balcony, gazing out on the scattered city lights from the distance, trailing the occasional car down the street with her eyes. Although it was a warm night, she'd still chosen the whole pyjama set instead of just a T-shirt, even though it now stuck slightly to her skin, clammy and causing her to shiver whenever a stray wind streaked by.  
  
But she didn't want to change into something lighter. She didn't want to risk feeling too comfortable.  
  
She studied the growing trees on the other side of the street. It looked so strange with those trees in the middle of a cemented pathway. To relieve the dull grey city pavement: A small touch of nature. They didn't belong here. And they seemed to know it too. They weren't blooming like they would in the country. In the country they'd stretch far, far up and to the sides, flourishing in the wealth of fresh air and clean water.  
  
The trees reminded Tessa of her grandparents' house, their back garden. They lived further out of the city, just on the border between civilization and the vast bush. Summer vacations and holidays had been spent driving up to them and staying for the remainder of their spare time. At least until her father's villainous phone rang and had cut their visit short.  
  
Tessa sighed, resting her head in her hands as she leaned on the railing . Another breath of wind pushed down her back, chilling the heated, clammy skin. A shower could remove the sweat. A cold one could cool her down and wake her up.  
  
But she wasn't in the mood for cold showers. Granted, she wasn't in the mood for a lot of things, but especially anything that would most certainly keep her up for the remainder of the night. Even she knew her body needed the sleep to function, that it needed to relax. She was just delaying the process of getting in bed, making up excuses to hide the fact she didn't actually want to go to sleep.  
  
The night traffic downtown was quieter tonight. She could hardly hear it. Usually it managed to reach all the way to this part of the city, but not tonight. Tessa wondered what it might be. It reminded her that she could barely hear any sirens. That was unusual. There was always some accident or a sort of crime somewhere.  
  
Without thinking, she pushed her face up towards the sky. No clouds. No moon. Only a vast darkness stretching from one end of her sight to the other. Spread across the sky like a carpet. Her thoughts began to swirl around her mind: Where are the stars? A brow furrowed as she scrutinized the darkness for any small fragrance of light. She could only see three or four, though.  
  
 _“There are more stars in the country.”_  
  
Where had that come from? Oh, yes. Steve. After the Warbourne murder, the man with the psychic abilities. Or so he claimed. Tessa had ended up in a discussion with Steve after the killer had been nailed. He'd been convinced there were more stars in the country than in the city. She'd tried to tell him otherwise. She'd called him a farm boy.  
  
A smile brushed Tessa's lips at the memory. Steve had laughed. He had a wonderful laugh, just like his smile.  
  
She shook the thoughts out of her head.  _There is not much of a point teasing myself. Nothing will ever come out of it. It’s a mutual agreement. Right?_  
  
Confused and disturbed by these new thoughts, Tessa pushed away from the railing and stepped back into the darkness of her living room. Normally she'd leave a light on, or let the moonlight light up the items of the room, but tonight it was dark. Dark and quiet. Unusual.  
  
But the feeling was just the same. Nothing could make her relax and go to sleep. She could see the hours had passed since the last time she'd checked her watch. No work tomorrow. Day off. She could sleep as long as she wanted to. If only she could force herself to sleep.  
  
She sat down on the couch, not paying the open doorway to the bedroom another thought. She then curled up and huddled together, despite the warmth. She was suddenly cool and shivering, and wrapped the blanket around herself tightly, leaning back in the soft pillows.  
  
 _Stay awake, don’t fall asleep. Nothing can protect you while you sleep.  
I think someone could do it.  
Stay awake, don’t fall asleep. They will chase you endlessly. You won’t get any rest and you know it. Stay awake._  
  
Tessa wondered if she should read a book, but she found her concentration lacking and she hated reading something when she wasn't into it. Television? No, only bad commercials and old reruns of B-films.  
  
If it'd been an appropriate time, she would’ve rung Steve. Or Dee. She'd called them both at nights before, but only during work. She wouldn’t wake them when there was finally a day off. They did way too much overwork already; they needed the days off.  
  
At least the others did. Tessa like work. It kept her mind focused, away from all those things that… Her mind didn't wander off like it did on days off. The others thought she was a workaholic because she enjoyed it. She did, to a certain extent, enjoy the work, the challenge and felt sated when she knew there was a closed case somewhere with her name on it.  
  
But she didn’t enjoy the murders. She'd never enjoyed the murders. People might have thought she was a cold fish to stand up straight and non-fazed when there was a rotting body lying right under her nose. She wished they'd know differently. She wished she'd been better at sharing. Expose her vulnerabilities. Numbers makes one stronger, they say. Maybe so, but so far she wasn't ready to share.  
  
 _There’s too much bad in my past. I don’t want to dig it up or put it on someone else’s shoulders._  
  
So instead Tessa sat through the night, sleepless and gradually falling apart from exhaustion. People might not see it, as she put on the steel mask of energy and vibration, but she'd getting more tired. She needed sleep. But she wouldn’t allow herself to sleep. It was too risky.  
  
It’d always been too risky.

* * *

  
Steve stood in the twilight, leaning against the door frame, the light from the kitchenette casting dancing shadows across his face. There was a gentle hum in the room, the steady breath of a woman snuggled into the blankets on the bed. Her hair is everywhere, curly and unruly, and still very enchanting. One particular lock has travelled down across her cheek. He was itching to brush it away.  
  
When Tessa asked him to come over, Steve had never imagined she was asking him to help her sleep. The invincible Tessa Vance, afraid of shadows? Afraid of dreams? And still, Steve couldn’t find anything amusing about it. In their line of work, who didn’t distrust the night and what it offered? Horrible images dragged up from the depth of what they had seen, attacking in the dead of night when they were unprepared, at their weakest. Steve understood very well Tessa’s feelings on the matter. In some way, he feared the night as well.  
  
Nightmares aside, it had still surprised him when Tessa asked him to stay, the magnitude of what she was asking not escaping either of them. This was beyond a partnership. Crossing into personal space, for greater deeds or lesser ones, was truly even more than just friends. And yet, it wasn’t the step above friends either. No, staying to help a friend and partner sleep, if only by their presence was more than friends and less than lovers.  
  
Steve stepped away from the doorway further into the room. He stopped by the bed, swallowed by shadows. Scarce light fell on Tessa’s peaceful features, on the single lock lying awkwardly across her eye and nose. It would tickle, probably, be a nuisance while she slept. It could wake her up, his mind reasoned feebly.  
  
A hand reached out, but paused right above the golden lock of hair. There was a soft smile upon her face, so etheral, so beautiful. Steve watched her lips, slightly open, move as she breathed in and out. In and out, in a steady rhythm. Tantalising him, captivating him.  
  
He shouldn’t really be here. His mission was complete. Tessa was asleep. And yet, as he tried to move back to the door, his resistance fell once the lock of hair came within view. Steve crumbled, leaned forward and brushed the lock away from her forehead.  
  
It was soft.  
  
Tessa mumbled something in her sleep, sighing peacefully. It sent butterflies into his stomach. Steve stepped back as if burned, away to the comfort of the doorway where he wasn’t so excruiatingly close. Hands felt for the solid wood, for silent support as his mind reeled.  
  
After an unknown period of time where he'd grown young and soft again, Steve willed himself to open his eyes again. Tessa lay still, not speaking his name again. More than friends, less than lovers. That was how their destinies were entwined, always bound by the honour to old ghosts and rules of the society.  
  
Steve would always be a friend. A friend in love, yes, but only that. Neither he nor Tessa would ever take the step further, beyond partners, beyond friends. But Steve could live with that. As long as he was near her. As long as she was in his life somehow, he could live with it.  
  
Drawing his gaze away from the perfect face, deep in sleep, Steve went back into the living room, putting on his shoes. The deadlock clicked as he left.

**FIN**


	11. Synchronicity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He could still feel that touch upon his skin. (Inspired by "Cat and Mouse", but set post-season 3.)

**Prompts:**  035. Sixth sense  
**Rating:**  Teen (suggestive, not explicit)

* * *

  
_Music: "Sideways" by Wrabel_  
  
He could still feel that touch upon his skin. The warmth, the comfort. Lasting nanoseconds, yet delving deeply into forgotten depths. Pushing away the muscle memory of the gun shot, from the tip of his trigger finger to the recoil in his shoulder joint. Slowly, but surely, expelling the sight of the suspect falling silently backwards. Dead. By his hand.  
  
Lying on his bed, Steve looked up at the hand held above his head. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a hand - one calloused palm, two old scars and five fingers - and yet extraordinary in its contradiction. Able to comfort, able to build, able to kill. Even able to feel as if it wasn't part of him.  
  
Except she'd pulled him back. Just enough to touch ground, to realise both what he'd done and that he'd had no other choice. That he'd done his job; that he'd done good. It'd been the suspect or a young kid, and that wasn't really a choice. Instinct took care of that. It was just that the aftermath, as always, was giving him time to think. Time he hadn't had in the moment it took to end one life in exchange for another.  
  
And in that aftermath, she'd been there. His partner.  
  
His saving grace.  
  
Steve exhaled deeply and let the hand fall down to cover his face. Even though it was in the middle of the night, he was tempted to let his hand do what it'd wanted to do ever since he got home: to reach across those few feet of empty air and touch the cool plastic of his mobile phone. To end his loneliness. To cross that bridge he'd promised he wouldn't.  
  
He knew she was awake, but their usual pretext for breaking the sanctity of the night was work, and this wasn't anywhere near it. This was as unprofessional as it got. A realisation that would upheave the world as they both knew it. A realisation that couldn't be forgotten once unleashed, forever an undercurrent in every word, every action from here on out.  
  
Steve didn't know if he could risk it. Not now. Not when they had such a good thing going. No, he should be happy with what they had. Should stop these ridiculous thoughts of throwing caution to the wind. Only place they'd lead would be heartache, and Steve couldn't take anymore of those. He had enough with finishing up  _this_ renovation project.  
  
So rubbing his eyes with a groan, he turned on his side...and tried to forget how empty his hand felt next to him.

  


* * *

  
_Music: "Here With Me" by Susie Suh & Robot Koch_  


  
She could still feel his skin beneath hers. The cold, the tension. Lasting nanoseconds, yet burrowing unashamedly to the base of her being. Pulling back half-forgotten memories from the depths of her mind of different days and places, and yet the same. Instantly, yet hesitantly, solidifying the frozen, haunted expression upon his face after seeing the suspect on the ground. Dead. By his hand.

Lying on her bed, Tessa stared at the hand lying next to her on the pillow. So slender, so ordinary, and yet so empty. Not strong at all. Not fully able to ease the pain on his face. Not able to take his place as the kill shot; he'd always been faster than her. All it could do was provide some hollow comfort in a moment that didn't last nearly long enough to matter.

Exhaling deeply, Tessa let her eyes travel to the phone on the nightstand. It'd be easy to pick it up. She didn't have trouble doing it, not other days and nights, but today had reminded her how much she hated that rare look upon his face. The defeat. The vulnerability. The solitude.

It felt like watching him through the sole crack in an otherwise smooth, unclimbable wall that surrounded him on all sides, knowing she could only stretch a finger into that crack and hope he'd give her his in return...and knowing full well her action wasn't driven by any sense of professional concern. In fact, it was anything but. Had been for a very long time. Tightly suppressed, of course, but nevertheless there. Never forgotten. Always an undercurrent in her every word and action, yet hoping beyond hope to remain undiscovered.

Tessa's hand curled upon the pillow as her throat clenched tightly. On days not like this one, she could forget about those fanciful, foolish feelings. On days not like this one, they could be partners and best friends.

But this wasn't like those days.

Eyes full of tears, Tessa reached for the phone, let the cool plastic remind her of the similar coldness she'd felt in his skin earlier that day, and ran her fingertip above the speed dial button.  


* * *

  
_Music: "Into my arms" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds_  
  


Something prickled on the back of his neck. Steve opened his eyes and stared into the darkness towards his mobile phone. Unexplainably unsettled, he reached to pick it up and squinted at the screen, but nothing showed. No missed calls. No messages.  
  
Frowning deeply, Steve put the phone down again and laid flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling again. An uneasiness spread through him, from the tips of his fingers to his toes, making him restless. It felt as if something had happened. As if something was different, only he couldn't explain what.  
  
It made sleep impossible now. Hot and restless, Steve threw the sheets off him and went into the kitchen for a glass of cold water, which took some of the edge off, but didn't dispel it completely. Running a hand through his damp hair and then down to rub his face and eyes, Steve stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, not knowing what to do.  
  
For some reason, he decided to pick up the phone and had dialled Tessa's number before he could think of a good excuse for his call. But he couldn't get himself to cut the connection, instead listening to the long tones with rising anticipation in the pit of his stomach. Steve could feel his heart race, his blood pounding, his body hot with emotion.  
  
_"Hi, you've reached Tessa Vance. I can't come to the phone right now--"_  
  
Answering machine. Steve snapped his mobile phone shut with an embarrassed jolt shooting through him. Letting out a shaky breath, he smiled and frowned at the same time. Silly to call at this time of night. Of course she was asleep...except she was a light sleeper and never let the phone go to the answering machine if she were home, not after Bradley Mumm...  
  
Steve felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Clenching the mobile in his hand, he searched for his clothes in the dark, fumbling along the floorboards until he grasped a pair of jeans and began to pull them on.  
  
And then someone knocked on his door.  
  
Eyes blinking in momentary shock, Steve's heart sped up. Then, ignoring his shirt, he hurried over to the door and wrenched it open.  
  
"Uh...hi." Tessa seemed so small on his doorstep, all bundled up in a thick jacket, hair ruffled, no make-up on, and shifting skittishly on her feet as if contemplating her immediate escape. She smiled awkwardly, car keys jingling in her left hand, the other tucking an unruly lock of hair behind her ear.  
  
Steve watched that hand with a sudden plummeting sensation in his core. "Hi."  
  
"Um, I...I was just..." Tessa looked behind her, gesturing to the darkened street where a streetlight had shorted out, then looked back at him and seemed at a loss for words for a long while. "I, uh... just wanted to check on you."  
  
That hand of hers was rubbing the other now, and all Steve could think of was that God worked in mysterious ways. "Synchronicity."  
  
"Huh?" Tessa frowned and Steve chuckled suddenly, feeling elated and stupid at the same time.  
  
"Never mind. Come in." Stepping slightly to the side, Steve gestured to the still darkened living room.  
  
With some hesitation, Tessa stepped across the threshold and then turned immediately when the door closed behind her, sounding far more nervous than he'd ever heard her. "Uh, I'm sorry, I probably woke you up. I didn't know what time it was--"  
  
"It's okay," Steve interrupted, holding up a hand in the darkness and startled when it touched hot breath and lips. He hadn't known they were standing so close, but now that he knew it, his blood was pounding worse than ever, his nostrils flaring in the overwhelming scent of her shampoo. His breath sounded ragged. "Um, I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay," Tessa breathed, stepping backwards by the sound of it. "Should maybe turn on a light."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Shaking his head, Steve fumbled back towards the door and startled once more as he crashed directly into Tessa, sending both of them toppling over a stack of paint tins he kept around there. Without thinking, he jerked her close to him in the fall, twisting them sideways so she'd land on top of him.  
  
Gasping slightly at the sharp elbow in his gut, Steve could feel Tessa hurriedly trying to get off him, but he was lying on her arm and they struggled for a moment amidst paint tins and whatever else was constricting their movements before being able to sit up.  
  
"You okay?" Steve asked, able to see her silhouette begin to stand out in the darkness. She was breathing as rapidly as he was, and warmth seemed to radiate from her like a heater. All of a sudden, it felt like he was burning up. That he couldn't breathe. With his hand, he searched for hers and latched on once he found it. "Tess."  
  
"I'm so sorry. I'm such a klutz." Tessa was sniffling and Steve squeezed her hand tightly, forgetting all about turning on a light. With his other hand, he reached up to her cheek and felt slight moisture there from her tears. She shied away as if ashamed, breaking contact.  
  
"Tess..." Steve wanted to hold her, but didn't know what would happen after that. He felt unhinged, exposed,  _free_. Liable to do something stupid and let the room's darkness cover all tracks. "I...um..."  
  
"I don't even know why I'm  _here_ ," Tessa continued. "I should've just called instead."  
  
_But then you wouldn't be here._  The words popped into Steve's mind instantaneously and his stomach twisted, pulling him closer like a planet orbiting a star.  
  
Tessa sighed and squeezed his hand in return, re-igniting the burning sensation in his blood. "I just wanted to check you were okay after...after today. I know you hate--"  
  
Steve's mind had blanked, his body taking over until his face was close enough to lavish his hot breath all over hers, stunning her.  
  
"Steve?" Her hot breath mingled with his and it took every inch of control Steve had not to bridge the gap right then and there.  
  
With some effort, he let out a shaky "Yeah?" and looked into those wide, deep pools of hers, which glittered slightly in the sparse light coming in through a window somewhere.  
  
But rather than some strained logical verbal response, Tessa closed the gap, her soft lips grazing his stubble first, then seeking his lips as he sought hers, meeting in the middle in a hesitant peck that with a sharp inhale of air turned into a furious fight.  
  
The dam broke. All caution was thrown to the wind. Steve pulled her close to his chest, forgetting everything but the comfortable heat, the soft skin beneath his, the pliant lips gaining enough confidence to battle him for dominance. Everything became a blur of roaming hands, strong legs thrown over his, and definite grinding that drew a groan from his lips and made them break off the kiss.  
  
Breathing heavily, they stared at each other in the shadows, arms flung around each other, bodies burning up from the combined heat. It was as if the darkness had already stripped them naked.  
  
"Steve? Are you...?" Her hands tensed upon his shoulders as the doubt turned audible in her voice. "Why...?"  
  
It was as if he could read her mind. Steve just  _knew_  what she was actually asking him. He was silently asking  _her_  the same questions.  
  
"Because I stopped simply thinking of you as my partner and friend a long time ago..." Heart thumping wildly in his chest, Steve's own hands tightened upon the small of her back. "Why...?"  
  
"Because I'm the same." Tessa's voice was small, hesitant, yet he thought he sensed a smile upon her lips. Her hands seemed to relax just a fraction, her thumbs stroking his neck softly, tantalizingly.  
  
"We won't be able to go back," Steve said, beginning to stroke her back again, slipping his fingers beneath her jacket. "But I don't want to. You?"  
  
"No," Tessa breathed, squirming slightly beneath his touch, unconsciously or consciously grinding lightly against his groin. "But this might be a mistake."  
  
"Maybe." Leaning closer, Steve inhaled her heavenly scent and closed his eyes, letting his lips trail lightly across her neck. "Or maybe not."  
  
Inhaling sharply as he applied a little more pressure, Tessa hugged him closer, running her fingers through his hair, gasping as he pulled back her jacket enough to suckle on her collarbone. She ground down on him in response, rolling her hips, and Steve groaned again, feeling entirely as if they had too damn much clothes on.  
  
But he still needed her okay. "Tess?"  
  
"Don't stop." Taking his face between her hands, Tessa claimed his lips again and Steve could only grin as she bit down on his lower lip and pulled it between her teeth to soothe it.

* * *

She could still feel his skin beneath hers. The warmth, the strength. Lasting an eternity, imprinted permanently upon every inch of her body. It had slowly, but surely, expelled the vacant stares, the empty hollowness, the permeating sense of loneliness. Making her blush even now as she sat staring at the neutral words in her report.  
  
Across from her, Steve kept shooting her secret smiles of his own. There was an exhilarated sense of daredevilry about this, about crossing that line, but Tessa loved it. Had lain awake while the sunlight poured inside and relished in how the light hadn't burst the bubble, but rather made her appreciate that the whole thing hadn't been a dream.  
  
Steve had been asleep, looking peaceful, and that's all she'd ever wanted. To be able to take away that pain of his. To have him take away hers. They were one and the same now. Two in one.  
  
Tessa looked up to look at him only to realise Steve did it simultaneously, each grinning at the other when their eyes met.  
  
_Finally whole._  
  
Still smiling, Tessa re-focused on her report.  
  
_Fully and completely._  
  
**FIN**


	12. A Wondrous Sound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It always came so automatically, reaching for the phone. Tonight, though, she hesitated.

**Prompts:** 037\. Sound  
 **Rating:**  G  
  


* * *

It always came so automatically, reaching for the phone. At one point, she’d needed to input his number, but now he was on speed dial, readily available whenever her hunches caught on.  
  
Tonight, though, she hesitated. Her hand lingered over the phone for a moment, then withdrew and curled impotently. Tessa shook her head quickly, turning her restless hand to reach out for the television remote instead, opting for some undemanding early morning show to pull her mind off the track it was headed.  
  
Then, like magic, it rang. Stunned, it took Tessa an additional three seconds before she lunged for the phone and picked it up.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
His voice was like a healing balm. _“What’s wrong? It’s already 3AM. Was thinking you’d forgotten all about me.”_  
  
Tessa grinned. “And here I thought I’d be nice enough to give you a full night’s sleep.”  
  
 _“Sleep’s overrated,”_  Steve said.  _“Better just spill what’s on your mind. More entertaining than what I’m watching on the telly right now.”_  
  
Her smile widened as her stomach did somersaults. “And what if I told you I’m not thinking about a case right now?”  
  
 _“Then I’d say you’ve piqued my interest, Detective,”_  Steve said, a hint of teasing in his tone.  _“Might even have to note this day down in my diary as the night Tessa Vance finally called me about something other than work.”_  
  
“It’s not exactly the first time,” Tessa pointed out, rolling her eyes in the process. “More like the fourth…or thirtieth.”  
  
At the other end of the line, Steve just laughed; a wondrous sound she never tired of hearing.  
  
“Anyway,” Tessa said, breaking in before she’d lost her courage, “The reason I’m calling is… Well, I’ve been thinking, and… I think it’s time I bought you dinner.”  
  
 _“At 3AM?”_  
  
Tessa rolled her eyes again. “No, not at 3AM. You know, at normal times, when normal people have dinner.”  
  
 _“We’re not exactly normal, Tess,”_  Steve teased.  _“But sure, sounds nice. And about damn time, if I might add. Was thinking you weren’t getting enough hints.”_  
  
Chuckling, Tessa reached up to twirl a lock of hair between her fingertips. “Just had to tune in on the correct channel…and wait for the right moment.”  
  
 _“Well,”_  Steve said, his voice turning soft like velvet.  _“I think we’re ready, Tess.”_  
  
At his words, Tessa sucked in a breath in sudden anticipation, the butterflies in her stomach going crazy. “Yeah. Me too.”  
  
As if a weight had let go, Tessa sank back in the couch, the television remote forgotten. She smiled into the phone. “So, tomorrow?”  
  
 _“Tomorrow. Don’t stand me up,”_  Steve added with a touch of humour.  
  
Tessa laughed; a wondrous sensation she never tired of feeling.

**FIN**


	13. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was sudden, impulsive, and completely thrilling. One moment he had come from his meeting with the Superintendent, the next she had suggested they go out to celebrate.

**Prompt:** 058\. Dinner  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
It was sudden, impulsive, and completely thrilling. One moment he had come from his meeting with the Superintendent, the next she had suggested they go out to celebrate. He had expected a round of drinks with the gang down at the Stars & Moon pub so when she pulled up in front of a fancy restaurant he had been dumbfounded. Yet when she sent him a single hesitant glance he had quickly assured her it was a great idea.  
  
And here they were, sitting opposite each other like they were prone to do, the only exception being their setting. No white-board off to the side with crime scene photos and scribbled notes, no desks teeming with yellow-beige folders, old newspapers and paper cups, no looming sense of sobriety. The gloomy office had been replaced by a classy, sophisticated locale with modern shades of red and black, and lamps along the walls turned low to fit the intimate air set off by the lit candles on the tables. If she had not been as surprised as him upon entering the restaurant, he would have wondered if she knew the place beforehand.  
  
Glancing across the table, Steve Hayden perused his partner sitting stock-still in her chair, her shoulders raised just a little and her throat tense. Her beautiful clear blue eyes surveyed the other patrons instead of looking at the menu an elegantly dressed waiter had brought them as they sat down. Did she already know what she wanted, he wondered?  
  
“You been here before?” he asked curiously.  
  
Tessa Vance gave a little start as her chin swung around from peering at a group of people clustered together in a corner. She had the deer-caught-in-headlights look upon her and Steve could not help but give her a wide smirk as he nodded in the general direction of the restaurant.  
  
Blushing a little, Tessa grinned. “No, I haven’t. Well, that’s not quite true. I’ve been in the neighbourhood, but I’ve never been here. Jason took me to the diner across the road once,” she explained when Steve raised his eyebrows slightly.  
  
“Jason, huh? That the guy who threatened to punch me or the guy who wrote you love letters before your first date?” Steve recalled both incidents clearly. He grinned widely, feeling his facial muscles stretch a bit uncomfortably.  
  
If she had not been blushing before, Tessa was certainly rosy-cheeked now. “The punch threat guy,” she murmured demurely, embarrassed. She did not say anything else, her silence drawing Steve into a chuckle.  
  
Though he had highly mistrusted the guy at the time and not really understood why Tessa willingly went on dates with him, he could only see the humour in the situation where the burly five-foot-six had glared up at him and swore he was going to smash his face just for talking “sweetly” to Tessa.  
  
Steve’s chuckle, eventually, was joined by Tessa’s own short giggle. By the sound of laughter, it seemed Tessa allowed herself to relax in her seat. She leaned slightly on an elbow and tucked her hair deftly behind her ear.  
  
“He wouldn’t have done it, you know,” she said smartly.  
  
“What, punch me? The guy was a walking bomb, Tess,” argued Steve, “He would’ve punched someone sooner or later. Where did you dig him up? You never said.”  
  
“Let’s say I wanted to forget about him as quickly as possible,” mumbled Tessa, averting his curious eyes.  
  
A sudden sense of secrecy washed over him and Steve suspected Tessa was holding back on something, particularly to do with the Jason guy. Foreboding entered his mind and Steve was about to ask when Tessa picked up her menu and said, a little high-pitched, “You know what you want yet?”  
  
Hesitating for second, Steve finally conceded and picked up his own menu. He perused the choices before replying, “Steak looks good.” He glanced at one of the other tables where he saw someone was eating a delicious-looking steak. “Wonder what that is?”  
  
Tessa followed his glance before flashing him a smile. “You could always ask, but I’d say it looks like number 23. The one with crusted potatoes and onions.”  
  
Steve gave a sound of agreement before turning the question around at her.  
  
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said undecidedly, in a way Steve had recognised most women grasped when they actually knew what they wanted but was, by some mysterious reason, unwilling to say so outright. Tessa did not look embarrassed, however, only in doubt. She bit her lower lip between her teeth. He thought it was kind of cute and smiled into his menu.  
  
Moments later, when the waiter appeared, it seemed that Tessa had indeed made up her mind about dinner as she recited her choice – chicken and pasta salad – to him without fault. After Steve had told the waiter his choice, she surprised him by adding two glasses of champagne to the order.  
  
“We are celebrating, you know,” she stated matter-of-factly.  
  
Yeah, he knew that. He had just not …  
  
Steve let his genuine smile spread across his still slightly tight cheeks. “Thanks,” he said honestly. “I—“  
  
“Think nothing of it, Sergeant,” interjected Tessa, grinning. “Come Monday you’ll be able to boss me around to your heart’s desire, so enjoy this pampering while it lasts.”  
  
“Oh?” challenged Steve, unable to stop himself from leaning slightly across the table, resting his chin in his hands. Taken aback, Tessa flustered a little before raising her chin defiantly, accepting his challenge. She leaned in from the other side.  
  
“Don’t imagine for a moment, sir, that you’ll have it easy just because we know each other,” she promised, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.  
  
“That sounds a lot like a challenge, Constable. Sure you’re up to it?” he asked slowly, teasingly, momentarily mesmerised by the brilliant grin flashing across her face.  
  
“After six years, I think I’ll be able to manage, Sergeant,” said Tessa, defiance and amusement splashed into her face. “I haven’t put up with Thorne for so long and not come out with a trick or two.”  
  
“Then I’m going to look forward to it, Detective Vance,” said Steve, unable to keep his grin from bursting onto his features. “Just beware. When you’re not paying attention …” He left it on a pledging note, drawing it out while locked in a staring contest with her.  
  
Abruptly, the moment was broken as the waiter returned with their glasses and a bottle of champagne. Steve leaned back with a chuckle while Tessa looked embarrassed, her hand reaching up to tuck more curly blonde hair behind her ears as the waiter poured their glasses. When the waiter retreated silently in the wake of their vocal gratitude, Steve looked at Tessa with anticipation in his stomach, only to have another grin latched onto his face at Tessa’s red-cheeked, twinkling smile.  
  
“To your promotion,” cheered Tessa, picking up her glass and raising it into the air. Steve was quick to follow, clinking the edge of her glass, saying, “To my promotion.”  
  
Both eyed the other over the rim of their glasses, both smiling, as they drank the sweet, sparkling champagne. Steve could not deny feeling … excited. And the night had just begun.

**FIN**


	14. Temptation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A tag drabble to "A Stab in the Dark". Should be read immediately after watching the end scene of the ep for the best effect...

**Prompts:**  076. Who?  
 **Rating:**  Teen (suggestive, not explicit)

* * *

  
She didn't get far. As soon as she'd unlocked her door, she was shuffled inside and pressed up against the back of it, hands already unbuttoning the front of her suit jacket.  
  
Head pleasantly buzzed from the drinks earlier and the fire flaring up beneath her skin, Tessa chuckled and sought out those delicious lips she couldn't get enough of. "Thought you said you were supposed to resist temptations?"  
  
"Only the Devil's." Steve growled against her lips, the throaty sound sending shivers down her spine.  
  
"What if I'm the Devil?" Still grinning, she bit his lower lip slightly, tugging it into her mouth and running her tongue along it to soothe the bite. At his groan, she reached up into his hair, held on with her fingers, keeping him in place as she kissed him deeply, wantonly, until they both had to break for air.  
  
Steve's eyes glittered in the dim light, a grin stretching slowly across his face. "Think I'd better find out."  
  
With a sudden jerk, he pulled her hips against him, mouth already on her neck, finding that spot that always made her gasp and twitch involuntarily. Tessa's eyes fluttered close, all reasonable thoughts and jabs thrown out the window, and she ran her hands down his arms, underneath his suit jacket, finding the shoulder holster he'd left on, grabbing it tightly.  
  
Sensing the familiar action, Steve let his hands fall down to her thighs and lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his immediately. Slowly, slightly staggeringly, he turned them towards her couch and pushed her into the cushions with all his wonderful weight.  
  
Tessa grinned devilishly before finding his lips again, locking them in a delicious fight that saw their clothes disperse in a hurried flurry of motion, saw Steve kneel on the floor with her hips wrapped around his, and saw them race to that spiralling finale that left them sweaty, breathless and euphoric.  
  
Then, with Steve half-collapsed on top of her, Tessa bit his ear teasingly, her voice little more than a whisper. "So what's the verdict?"  
  
Steve chuckled, pushing himself up enough that he could stare into her eyes with the full brunt of those smug, bedroom eyes of his. "Ask me again later."

**FIN**


	15. Teases

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was difficult not to rise to the bait when she flashed her eyes at him like that, running the tip of her shoe up his leg beneath the table.

**Prompt:** 089\. Work  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
It was difficult not to rise to the bait when she flashed her eyes at him like that, running the tip of her shoe up his leg beneath the table. Steve was stunned, to say the least, at her bold audacity and obvious teasing, especially as their emminent boss, who practically crammed every rule in the book up his arse, was standing four feet away, back towards them as he surveyed the cluttered whiteboard.  
  
Steve’s eyes found hers easily above the desktops, brows furrowed in a serious grimace although his lips was fighting the twitching grin that wanted to split his face in two, and he mouthed a promise of vengance just before Thorne turned around to face them.  
  
Feigning a look of serious concentration - half-sighing in relief when Tessa’s treacherous foot left his alone - Steve met Malcolm Thorne’s stern eyes evenly. By the continued grim expression on the boss’s face following seeing too many dead girls’ bodies littered around dumpsters, Steve knew they had once more escaped certain execution. But it had been close, almost too close. He would have to take the matter up with Tessa. Preferrably later, when they met up after the usual pub night following a wrap-up and not when potential witnesses could document their “sordid little affair”, as Tessa jokingly called it.  
  
“I want your reports on my desk tomorrow morning,” Thorne said briskly. His jacket was open and he had his hands on his hips. It was the usual sign of having been a long and tiresome day in the life of Inspector Malcolm Thorne. Steve knew how he probably felt; cases like this were always taxing in a different way than some of the more straight-forward murders.  
  
“How’s Janson?” Tessa asked slowly, hesitantly, although her hands were quite steady where they lay on top of the desktop.  
  
“He’ll live. Though I doubt he’ll find imprisonment to be better than chained to a hospital bed,” Thorne remarked dryly, a ghost of a smile hinting at his lips. “You did the right thing, Tessa. I’m sure young Brie Pedersen and her parents will say the same.” His smile became a little more apparent in an obvious move to settle Tessa’s reservations, but then it was banished as he shifted to leave. “Good work you two. See you tomorrow.”  
  
“Night,” Steve replied and Tessa echoed him before Thorne disappeared into his office. As soon as the door closed, Steve stood and went to sit on the edge of Tessa’s desk. “He’s right, you know.”  
  
“I know,” Tessa sighed, dragging a hand across her eyes. “Still, I shot the man. It never gets easier.”  
  
“Course it don’t. You’re human after all,” Steve smiled and took her hand briefly; brushing across her knuckles with his thumb, then withdrew before anyone caught him at it. If anything, this “sordid little affair” had made him edgier and nearly paranoid.  
  
Tessa grinned up at him with brilliant, twinkling eyes, the worry momentarily forgotten in the face of opportunity to rub Steve’s edginess in and make a subtle attempt to follow up on what her foot had done previously. He could barely control himself when she touched the thigh closest to her and chuckled when he jerked involuntarily in response.  
  
Nervously looking around them at the still shut Inspector’s office door and nearly empty premises, Steve took her sneaky hand away and growled lowly so only she could hear: “You mind waiting?”  
  
“What? Scared someone might actually find out?” Her voice was teasing but he could sense a deeper meaning to her words, a hesitancy that belied her apparent easiness to the subject.  
  
“Both yes and no,” Steve replied honestly. “This is hardly the time and place, but you know how I feel about you. I don’t want to hide this, but I don’t want to stop working with you either.”  
  
As if those words carried a magic spell, Thorne’s door opened and Steve jerked away from Tessa’s close prescence as the man himself backed out and locked the door. Thorne glanced at them with a nod as he walked towards the glass doors and disappeared into the elevator. Steve sighed openly once the man was out of sight.  
  
Tessa looked up at him. “I’m sorry. My mind’s a bit shaken, I guess.” He could certainly understand that sentiment. Ever since the shootout, Steve had been wound up like a taut spring, and Tessa’s footy match under the desks hadn’t helped either.  
  
“That’s understandable. You’ve had a tough day, what with the shooting and all.” Steve took her hand again, scooting closer once he was sure none of the remaining detectives could spot them from across the filing cabinets and whatnots dividing the premises into smaller spaces.  
  
“Yeah,” Tessa agreed. A mixed expression crossed her face. Steve couldn’t quite analyse it. “You know what’s really buggering me, though? When Janson pointed the gun at the girl, I wasn’t thinking about Brie at all. All I could think was him starting to point it at you.”  
  
Smiling gently, Steve squeezed her lithe hand in his, his heart swelling at the obvious affection in her big blue eyes. “Well, it didn’t happen. I’m still here.” He paused, scrutinising her slightly harried features and huddled shoulders. “Do you wanna skip the pub tonight? I’m sure the others won’t start guessing if we don’t show up. I can just give them a call.”  
  
“Okay,” Tessa replied, nearly a bit too quickly. Steve grinned as she blushed endearingly. Then she met his eyes hesitantly: “Will you hold me?”  
  
How could he refuse?  
  
“Sure.”  
  
The admonishing over her teasing at work could wait. It’s not like he was such an angel himself.  
  
 **FIN**


	16. There's a thing as too much to drink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa drinks water for a reason.

**Prompt:**  060. Drink  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
Looking over his shoulder at the opening door, Steve spoke up: ”You’re home early. Had a nice night?” He nearly bit his tongue when a different face popped up beyond the door. Bridget’s eyes widened.  
  
“Who’re you?” she asked bewildered, frozen in the doorway. Steve smirked even as his neck tensed.  
  
“I’m Steve. Tessa’s partner. I’m staying here for a few days.”  
  
“Oh!” exclaimed Bridget, grinning now. “I’m sorry! I thought you were some boyfriend Tessa had never told me about.”  
  
Steve chuckled. “No, don’t you worry about that. Where is she?”  
  
Bridget’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as she looked behind her, brows furrowing. “Tessa? Tessa!” She disappeared out the door and Steve could only hear her shuffling towards the stairs, then some mumbling and then Bridget reappeared in the doorway again, Tessa leaning heavily on her. The blonde looked up, cheeks flushed and eyes slightly unfocused. Then she grinned widely.  
  
“Stevie!” she said in a high squeal, setting off warning bells in his head. Tessa squealing? He raised an eyebrow as he stood from the couch. His partner struggled to get out of her friend’s grip, stumbling forward drunkenly, swaying on her feet before Steve reached out to catch her. Tessa slung her arms around his neck and he could smell the alcohol on her breath.  
  
“Where’d you go? I miiiiissed you!” Her bright blue eyes shifted here and there, and she blinked rapidly. “I’m a wee bit sloshed...” she revealed in a low giggle, snorting as she dunked her head on his chest. Steve raised a disbelieving expression to Bridget, who only shrugged with a smirk.  
  
“I can see that,” said Steve, amused. “You had fun then?” He couldn’t help but chuckle as his partner nodded furiously, looking like a child grasped in an exciting position.  
  
“Bri’get got me dancing,” she moaned, then giggled again, making wonderful snorting noises. “And she forced me to drink THREE shots! I’ve NEVER drunk so much in my LIFE! No,” she interjected, pretubed, “No, there was the Academy and Peter’s...” before she could continue, she burst into another bout of laughter, this time joined by Bridget.  
  
“Tessa, you probably shouldn’t say anymore or your partner will never let you hear the end of it,” said Bridget.  
  
Steve grinned. “No, no, go on. This sounds interesting!”  
  
But Tessa had shut up, trying to make a sign that her lips were sealed, but she only ended up poking her cheek instead. Steve laughed and Bridget came over to take Tessa off his chest.  
  
“Come on, you drunkard, let’s get you to bed.”  
  
“Noooo,” whined Tessa, tightening her grip around Steve. “’m wanna stay wiv’ Stevie...”  
  
Steve only grinned as Bridget sighed, trying again to no avail. Tessa was extraordinarily strong even when drunk.  
  
“It’s okay,” said Steve finally as Bridget looked to be close to ripping her friend’s arms off. “I’ll do it.”  
  
He started moving towards the bedroom, Tessa following obediently although she still gripped his chest vice-hard. Next to the bed, he pried her arms away and gestured her to sit down on the edge. She only ended up slinging her arms around his neck and pulling close to his face.  
  
“No, not sleep,” mumbled Tessa. Steve could feel Bridget’s stare on them from the doorway. “I don’t wanna sleep yet...” She leaned closer and Steve pulled back, staring down at her quivering lip and shimmering eyes once she realised he wasn’t giving in. “You don’t—?”  
  
“Tess,” he interjected quickly. “You need to sleep this off. You’ll have a killer headache tomorrow if you don’t go to sleep now.”  
  
He got free of her arms and swept her up and put her down on the bed. She got suddenly very silent, staring up at the ceiling before turning on her side. Feeling helpless, Steve glanced sideways and saw Bridget had disappeared. He heard the door click moments later.  
  
Steve sat down on the edge of the bed and laid a hand upon Tessa’s shoulder. “Tess...please look at me.” When she didn’t move, he pulled her onto her back. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry.” He wiped off her silent tears. “Of course I want you. But not tonight. Not like this. You’re drunk.” And for no reason, it made him grin again. Not even Tessa’s outraged muttering could damper the amusement he felt.  
  
“What the hell’s so funny?” she demanded slurrily, sitting up. Steve started laughing.  
  
“You’re wasted! I’ve never seen you drink more than a glass of wine at most!”  
  
“Well, I’m not completely Miss Goody-Two-Shoes, you know!”  
  
Steve toned down his chuckles, reaching over to stroke her cheek. “Of course not. You’re a minx too. A wildcat. And a complete mystery. Don’t you ever change.” He grinned. “Now let’s get you settled for bed, then I’ll join you afterwards.”  
  
Tessa smiled then, immediately changing tracks as she leaned forward again, a sultry look upon her face. Steve pushed away again, grinning. “You reek of vodka, woman! Go get your teeth brushed! And when you’re done I wanna know everything about what this Peter bloke had...”  
  
 **FIN**


	17. Not so quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Quiet days. He'd once longed for it." Steve reflects during an evening in. (Simple fluff.)

**Prompts:** 100\. Writer's choice: Quiet  
 **Rating:** G

* * *

  
Quiet days. He’d once longed for it. Wished for it. Grown accustomed to it. Then an enigma had swept into his life and spun him around like a whirlwind until quiet days were nothing more than faint memories of the past.  
  
But if he were to be completely honest, he didn’t miss them. Not really. Compared to the adventures into which he’d been involuntarily thrown, those quiet days seemed boring. Restless. Dull. Like ticking off boxes on a form for hours and hours at a time. A lifeless existence, going from case to case, delving deeper and deeper into the darkest, deprived dungeons of the human psyche.  
  
He’d been on the verge of quitting. No one had known, of course, but he’d thought about it. Especially after the disastrous affair with Suzanne Delacourt that almost cost him his job – and his sanity. Now, however…  
  
Staring at the woman tucked under his arm, her legs stretched across the couch, eyes soaking up the thriller on the telly, Steve smiled.  
  
“Why you don’t get enough of this at work…” he began, letting the rest of the sentence hang teasingly in the air.  
  
Tessa shifted slightly, a quick breath of air the only sign of her snort. “I like to see the things they get wrong. Someone clearly didn’t do their research properly in this one or they’d know you couldn’t possibly get an injury like that when falling down the stairs.”  
  
Steve rolled his eyes. “Perhaps that’ll be the sudden twist at the end?”  
  
“Nah,” Tessa drawled exaggeratedly, “it’s more likely to be the fact that the victim’s brother isn’t actually her brother.”  
  
Chuckling, Steve drew her closer so he could drop a kiss on the top of her head. “Well, let’s leave that for the detective to reveal in the sitting room scene at the end, shall we? This is supposed to be entertainment, not another puzzle.”  
  
“Puzzles  _are_ entertaining,” Tessa argued, tilting her head back so he saw her wide, teasing grin. “I can’t just switch my mind off like you can, Steve. Unless there’s nothing to switch off there in the first place, of course.”  
  
“Oh-ho, you’re treading on thin ice, Tess.” With the arm he’d slung around her, he prodded her side with his fingers, finding her ticklish spots.  
  
Tessa’s grin only widened. “Says the guy who’s never seen snow.”  
  
“I _have_  seen crocs, though,” Steve said pointedly.  
  
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Tessa cocked an eyebrow at him in a mix of confusion and amusement. “That’s a logical fallacy right there, Steve. Never thought I’d hear one of those coming from you.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.”  
  
Sneaking his other arm around her as well, Steve hugged her close and then promptly tickled her until she squirmed and begged for mercy. It was only when her knee had come a little too close for comfort to his groin that he finally removed his hands and held them up in the air. Tessa, hair and clothes mussed up, sat back on her knees and glared at him petulantly.  
  
“Sneak, now you made me miss the scene,” she said and gestured to the screen where the characters were reacting to something with horror. “See, not her brother. Told you.”  
  
“All right, all right, let me make it up to you.” Grinning again, Steve got off the couch and went to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of water and a bowl of grapes – her preferred Saturday evening snack. “Here you go, honey.”  
  
With a mock glare this time, Tessa accepted his peace offering and eventually snuggled up to him again while they watched the rest of the thriller. Choosing wisely not to antagonise her again, even in jest, Steve just hugged her close and let himself enjoy the moment.  
  
No more quiet days, but he didn’t mind so long as he felt like he did right now: Happy.  
  
 **FIN**


	18. Stranded but not lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the 'deserted on an island trope'. Nothing like being forced to survive to change your perspective on things.

**Prompts:**  051. Water, 052. Fire, 054. Air, 032. Sunset, 068. Lightening, 081. How?  
 **Rating:**  Teen  
  


  


* * *

  
_051\. Water_

God, everything hurt. Coughing and spitting, Tessa stumbled and fell as she waded heavily through the water, the sun bright and sharp in her eyes, the salt water burning in her nostrils. The smell made her dizzy, and the disorientation caused her to fall on her hands and knees the moment she hit the sandy beach.  
  
Her hands sank into the wet sand and with her last remaining strength, she collapsed on her side. Despite the heat of the sun, her body began to shiver with exhaustion and cold.  
  
It took her a moment before her eyes snapped open and stared frantically back at the plane wreckage about a hundred yards out in the coral reefs. All that remained visible was the tail fin and one of its wings, but it wasn’t the wreckage she wanted to see.  
  
“Steve!” she yelled hoarsely, causing another coughing fit that gulped up more salt water. On trembling hands, she sat up and shielded her eyes for better vision. “Steve!”  
  
“Yeah!” His voice sounded closer than she’d expected. A break in the waves let her see him; he was swimming towards her with the pilot floating behind him. Blood was running down his face.  
  
Ignoring her own exhaustion, Tessa struggled to her feet and stood waiting for him, then helped him drag the unconscious pilot further up the beach until the waves couldn’t reach them any longer.  
  
“You’re bleeding." Tessas's adrenaline-fuelled muscles dug through her pockets to find a drenched handkerchief. Steve, however, waved her off as he leaned over the pilot to check his pulse.  
  
“He’s not breathing." Steve's eyes were fixated upon the pilot’s lifeless features. Acting swiftly, he started CPR, his hands pushing hard into the man’s chest in quick, hard motions.  
  
Tessa only noticed his actions fleetingly; she was still staring wide-eyed at the blood running freely into Steve’s eyes. There was so much of it. It looked like he was dying, and the thought terrified her.  
  
“Tess, get off,” Steve said sharply when she tried again to wipe off the blood from his face.  
  
Stunned by his harshness, Tessa fell back on her arse, the handkerchief clutched impotently in her hands. Blinking away tears, she looked around at their surroundings, but not really taking it all in. All that registered was that there was a tropical forest along the edge of the beach that looked untouched by humans. If they hadn’t just been stranded here, it’d have been idyllic.  
  
“Damnit,  _breathe_!” Steve cursed below his breath as he continued his CPR, but Tessa knew somehow that it wouldn’t work. It was just a gut feeling. The impact had been hard.  
  
She got to her feet, still exhausted, still filled with adrenaline, and walked brokenly around the beach, trying to  _think_ , trying to find  _something_  to do. She didn’t know how much time passed; her wrist watch had stopped working in the water. And her cell phone had been lost somewhere, so she wouldn’t be able to call anyone.  
  
At that, her eyes drifted back to the plane wreckage out in the water. It moved with each wave, pushed towards the beach but unable to traverse the coral reefs, and thin trails of smoke rose from the visible wing. Maybe if she could swim back there, she could salvage the radio and any emergency kits the pilot might have had stored.  
  
As Tessa waded into the water again, though, exhaustion overcame her and she sank to her knees in the wet sand. There was no energy left in her muscles and everything hurt. Rationally, she knew the shock was wearing off and if she stayed, she’d keel over and drown.  
  
So, with her last remaining strength, she managed to crawl back onto the beach before she collapsed and passed out in blissful darkness.

* * *

_052\. Fire_

Comfortable warmth surrounded her, shielded her, as Tessa woke up. In front of her, a roaring fire glared into her dry eyes, making her squint. Behind her, someone was snuggled against her back, arms holding her close, his breath heavy and even. From the familiar scent, she realised it was Steve.  
  
“Ugh…” Tessa coughed and winced in pain; trying to speak had exposed the raw dryness of her throat, telling her she was dangerously dehydrated. As her shoulders racked with her coughs, Steve stirred and sat up immediately with a jolt; the loss of his body warmth immediately sent shivers down her spine and into her extremities.  
  
“Tess. Oh,  _thank God_.”  
  
He helped her sit up so she could catch her breath, then shuffled over somewhere and came back with a military style water bottle filled with delicious fresh water. Tessa gulped it down hungrily, despite him telling her to take small sips, and started coughing again as a result.  
  
As the water trickled into her system, though, Tessa’s senses sharpened and she became aware of their surroundings. It looked like a cave of some sort, the ground around the campfire covered in leafy branches and some assorted items she figured must have come from the plane wreckage. Steve must have swum back there and picked it up.  
  
“I think you’ve got a concussion,” Steve muttered as he took the water bottle from her and put the cap back on. “You threw up a lot earlier, so you’ll need to replenish your fluids and nutrients. Here.” He dug in his pockets and came up with a survival bar, unwrapping it for her. “You remember what happened?”  
  
“Most of it. Some things are a bit blurry.” Tessa nibbled at the bland survival bar, not feeling particularly hungry yet, and frowned at him. “You were bleeding.”  
  
“Small cut, but probably looked worse than it was since it’s a head wound.” Wincing slightly, Steve turned his head so she could see it in the firelight. He’d closed the wound with some strips he could only have found in a first aid kit. “Headache’s worse.”  
  
Tessa reached out and touched the edges of the wound with a gentle fingertip, causing Steve to wince again. “You cleaned it?”  
  
“Yep. Found a stream not far from here.” Steve looked around the cave. “We’ve been lucky.”  
  
“Pilot?”  
  
Steve’s jaw clenched. “Buried him down by the beach.”  
  
“I’m sorry,” Tessa whispered, her eyes tearing up. The survival bar was forgotten in her hand. “You did all this while I was sleeping.”  
  
“I reckon ‘passed out’ is the more correct term,” Steve said sardonically, and Tessa recognised the attempt at rationalisation and compartmentalising that he was so good at. It was heart-breaking to watch. She knew how troubled he could get with the brutality they witnessed in their work, and the feeling of failure when they didn’t succeed in rescuing someone from dying.  
  
Uncaring of propriety and boundaries, Tessa reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him closer until she could hug him. Almost awkwardly, Steve patted her back, which only caused her to tighten her hug and not let go. Eventually, his body betrayed him, revealing his exhaustion, and Tessa pulled him down until they were once more snuggled up next to the fire.  
  
“You need to sleep,” Tessa whispered, distantly aware that his heartbeat was racing beneath the spot where her head rested. “I’ll keep watch.”  
  
The fact that he didn’t argue was proof enough that her assessment was spot on. “Okay.”  
  
  


* * *

_032\. Sunset_

As far as they remembered, the pilot had been able to send off a Mayday signal before they crash-landed into the ocean, which meant it was just a matter of time before someone came looking for them.  
  
They just hadn’t counted on it taking  _this_  long.  
  
Sitting in the shade of the lean-to they’d constructed by the beach, Tessa stared out at the open horizon where the sun was slowly setting in brilliant hues of red and orange. She clutched her legs close to her chest, feeling vulnerable and exposed, wondering not for the last time if they’d ever get back to the mainland again.  
  
“That’s the fifth sunset since we came here,” she uttered quietly, her voice slightly choked. Every part of her body itched and it felt like she had sand everywhere, even if she made sure to wash it off as often as possible in the freshwater stream further into the forest.  
  
“They’ll find us, Tess,” Steve said, stretched out next to her with a tired arm over his eyes.  
  
Neither of them had much energy right now. Although they kept hydrated, finding and eating enough food had become a chore capable of sucking more energy than they regained when eating – and the burning heat didn’t help. That said, Tessa had never thought crabs would taste as good as they did out here.  
  
“Maybe we should build a raft or something.” She knew she was grasping at straws; that they had no idea how to build rafts or survive for long periods of time in this kind of environment. Well, at least  _her_. Steve seemed to be handling things much better than her, his rural background clearly giving him an advantage.  
  
The differences between them had never been this glaringly obvious. The reminder caused Tessa to wipe off a stray tear and sniff, conscious that every little tear and sweat meant more fluids to replenish.  
  
Steve’s hand on her arm startled her. “It’ll be okay, Tess. We’ll make it. Just gotta hold on, watch out for ships, and keep the signal fire going once we spot them.”  
  
 _Once_  we spot them. Not  _if._  The words resonated with Tessa, but rather than feel comforted by Steve’s reassurances, she felt even lonelier. This hadn’t been how she’d pictured ending up on an idyllic beach with him – if at all –  _or_  ending up snuggled against him each night to keep warm.  
  
She felt as if some divine power out there was playing her a terrible, horrible prank.  
  
“ _Tess_ …” Sitting up, Steve shuffled over until he sat next to her and then slid his arm around her in a one-armed hug. “Come here.”  
  
Tessa resisted slightly, but her body betrayed her by leaning against his shoulder anyway, soaking up his now familiar warmth, his comfort, his  _presence_ , as the sun set beautifully out on the horizon.  
  
Maybe she could pretend this wasn’t just for survival. Maybe she could pretend this was love.  
  


* * *

_068\. Lightening_

On the sixth day, they were caught in a thunder storm. They’d been straying somewhat farther from their base in order to find new sources of food, and were now struggling through the mud and slapping vines on their way back to the cave.  
  
Rain began to gush down, soon accompanied by the occasional roar of thunder and flash of lightening in the distance. By Tessa’s reckoning, it wouldn’t be long before they’d be trapped in the midst of it and she knew they wouldn’t make it back in time.  
  
“We need to find shelter!” Tessa yelled, pulling at Steve’s arm to get his attention above the noise of the screaming wind.  
  
Squinting in the rain slapping against his face, Steve looked hurriedly around them and then pointed to what appeared to be a rocky surface. “There!”  
  
Tessa wiped rain out of her eyes and followed on shaky feet, the ground slippery and threatening to bring them both down. There were roots and sharp rocks to consider too, and the potential poisonous insect, arachnid or reptile, but soon the need for shelter overpowered the need for hyper-vigilance and Tessa half-ran after Steve.  
  
They reached the rocky outcropping and the small cave entrance Steve had seen just in time. Outside, lightening struck down and split a tree in half. Flames burst up, covering the area in reddish hues.  
  
“We’ll need that!” Steve gestured and disappeared back into the rain before Tessa could hold him back. Her heart was in her throat as she watched him traverse the forest ground and pick up a large burning piece of wood before heading back. As soon as he’d deposited it inside the cave, she made sure to punch him in the arm. “What the hell?”  
  
“You could’ve been killed!” Punching him again, Tessa felt her sanity tip into an uncontrollable mess. “Don’t you ever do that again!  _Ever_!”  
  
“Stop it!” Steve caught both her hands by the wrist and held her tightly in place, his expression furious. “I’m fine, Tessa, I’m  _fine_! But we don’t know how long that storm’s gonna last, and we’re not dying of hypothermia. Not after coming  _this far_.”  
  
Stunned as if he’d slapped her, Tessa began to cry and crumbled slightly into his arms on automatic. Her heart was still racing, her entire body was on edge, and she couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she’d been about to lose him.  
  
Steve sighed and caressed her back, trying to calm her down. His voice was gentle when he said, “Come on. We’ll have to get out of these wet clothes. I’ll see if I can find some more firewood too.”  
  
Tessa’s shoulders instantly tensed. Even though she knew it was the rational thing to do, that they’d already seen each other in various states of undress over the past week, her mind was too wired, too imaginative. As Steve disappeared outside the cave once more, she remained frozen in place, hot and cold at the same time.  
  
“Tess… I won’t watch,” Steve said later as she sat next to the roaring fire, still wearing her drenched clothes. “You know what: I’ll sit on this side and you’ll sit on that side. The fire should be enough to keep us both warm.”  
  
To prove yet again he was a man of his word, Steve turned away and began to pull off his own clothes one by one. The view of his naked skin made Tessa’s eyes blink, her cheeks flush, and she hurriedly looked away too. Then, with great hesitation, she took off her clothes and laid them to dry against the rocks. When she was finished, she threw a quick glance in Steve’s direction and saw he was staring stoically at the wall in front of him.  
  
It made her smile slightly. “You’re a real gentleman, Steve. Not that many guys who’d resist the opportunity to catch a glimpse of a naked woman.”  
  
Steve chuckled, his tone low in a familiar tease, “Who says I didn’t take a peek?”  
  
Tessa both blushed and rolled her eyes at the same time, the internal heat dampening some of the shivers running down her spine. Using a leafy branch as a cushion, she sat down and brought her legs close to her chest to conserve her warmth. The action, however, exposed parts of her to the gusts of wind that snuck inside their shelter, causing her to tremble despite her best efforts.  
  
It didn’t help that the storm only seemed to rise in intensity, not dissipate.  
  
“Steve…” she muttered eventually, her teeth chattering slightly. “Don’t think this’ll work. Wind’s picking up.”  
  
“Ah, you’re just saying that ‘cause you can’t resist me,” Steve teased, sounding as if he was shivering a bit himself. Tessa wondered if he knew exactly how right he was, but tried to play along.  
  
“I’d have said the same thing if someone else was here instead of you.”  
  
“Even Thorne? Or Fisk?”  
  
“God, no!” Tessa groaned, rubbing her hands over her arms, which were covered in goose bumps. Although her back was comfortably warm from the fire, her front was cold to the touch. “Ugh, that’s an image I can’t unsee.”  
  
“Me neither…” Steve chuckled, a wondrous sound that always seemed to hit her straight in the gut.  
  
“So…” Hesitant, Tessa didn’t know how to go on. This was definitely a boundary they’d never uncross. If they did this…there’d be no turning back. They might never be able to look each other in the eyes again.  
  
“We’ll just close our eyes and never speak of this again,” Steve said quietly.  
  
“Um, yeah.” Blushing furiously, Tessa thought her heart would beat its way out of her chest. “So how you wanna do this?”  
  
“I’ll come over to you?”  
  
“Sure.”  
  
With rising trepidation, Tessa shut her eyes hard and listened to Steve rise to his feet, and then sit down somewhere behind her. His tense hands touched her shoulders hesitantly, causing her to jump slightly in her seat, but she pushed down all her insecurities and shuffled backwards until she sat snuggled up against his chest, her front facing the fire.  
  
Thankfully, he’d put one of his wet clothes over his groin. Tessa wasn’t sure what she’d do if…well, she probably shouldn’t be thinking about that. Definitely a bad idea. Definitely, definitely…  
  
 _Think of something else. Think of crime scenes. Think of Thorne._  
  
It worked…until she noticed Steve’s heart was beating rapidly against her back, and his arms were tense and barely touching her where they encircled her.  
  
“Maybe this was a bad idea…” Tessa breathed, feeling her whole body stiffen, definitely anything but cold and shivering.  
  
“I think you’re right,” Steve muttered, his breath hot on her neck, sending pleasant and terrible shivers down her spine. Heart racing, Tessa leaned slightly away from him, but for some reason, his arms didn’t move. “ _Tess_ …”  
  
“Don’t…” Somehow, she just knew which track his mind was on, which direction this was headed. She started trembling heavily, her legs shaking as if all they wanted was to run away...or wrap themselves around something. “This was a bad idea, but we can still fix it. Just…just gotta…”  
  
Her mind went numb as Steve leaned his chin on her shoulder, his lips just an inch away from her throbbing neck vein.  
  
“You should punch me again,” he said after a breathless moment.  
  
Tessa agreed, but her body wouldn’t comply. Instead, it betrayed her and leaned into his soft, gentle lips.  
  


* * *

_054\. Air_

  
It was like coming up for air after a near drowning. As they lay entangled in each other’s arms, spent from their previous activities, Tessa realised she couldn’t regret it. This line that they’d crossed…she didn’t want to reinforce it again, come hell or high waters.  
  
She just didn’t know if Steve felt the same way.  
  
“You okay?”  
  
Well, he had to be a mind reader, at least. Tessa reined in a sigh. “Yeah… I’m just trying to make sense of all this.”  
  
Steve didn’t reply immediately, instead simply caressing her bare skin almost lazily with his fingertips. When he  _did_  speak, his voice was gentle, yet with an undertone of trepidation. “Maybe you don’t need to. Maybe…it is what it is.”  
  
Tessa frowned. “What do you mean?”  
  
“I’m saying maybe we don’t need to overthink this, and instead just  _let it happen_.” Steve’s hand stilled upon her skin, his body tensing slightly. Tessa’s did the same in response, not quite knowing what to say.  
  
“Um, you mean we don’t go back to just being partners once we’re off this island,” she tried and her heart skipped a beat when Steve cuddled her closer with his arm.  
  
“Yeah. I mean, if you want.” He paused, his tone slightly melancholic. “But I’m not going to make this harder for you, Tess. If you want to go back to the way things were…”  
  
Tessa chuckled nervously, an exhilarating sensation fluttering in the pit of her stomach. “A little too late for that, I reckon.” She propped herself up on her elbow and finally met Steve’s eyes, feeling suddenly quite brave; maybe the lingering concussion was loosening her inhibitions. “I don’t regret this. In fact…I want to see where this is going.”  
  
A grin broke out on Steve’s face. “Really?”  
  
“Really,” Tessa grinned and leaned down to seal the deal with a kiss.  
  
Steve’s eyes twinkled when she withdrew. “You know, with our luck, we’ll be rescued the moment we step out of this cave.”  
  
Tessa viewed the still raging storm outside the entrance. “Better make the most of it then.”  
  


* * *

  
_081\. How?_

“Oh, come one, Steve! You were on that island for two weeks. How did you survive?” Completely forgetting it was her turn, Dee leaned on her pool cue and swerved dangerously close to toppling over in an effort to come closer to him.  
  
Steve only smirked and shrugged. “We were lucky.”  
  
“Don’t give me  _that_!” Dee scoffed. “Lucky, my ass.”  
  
“Dee, just make the shot,” Steve said, waving his hand at the pool table.  
  
Watching the scene unfold from her seat by the bar, Tessa tried very hard not to blush as she recalled the memories evoked from Dee’s line of questioning. However, when Steve threw a quick glance and smirk in her direction, she failed and felt her face flush pleasantly.  
  
Embarrassed, Tessa turned away and drank deeply from her wide-rimmed water glass, letting the liquid cool her down. Thankfully, by the time Tootsie appeared next to her, her face was restored to his usual colour.  
  
“Two wine, please,” Tootsie told the bartender, then looked sideways at Tessa while she waited. “You okay, Tessa? Pleased to be back at the mainland again?”  
  
“Very.” Swallowing the last drops of water, Tessa set her glass down and left it there for the bartender to clear it away. “I’ll never complain about the traffic ever again – or Thorne.”  
  
“Good luck on both counts.” Tootsie’s eyes twinkled as she glanced back to where Fisk sat alone in one of the bar’s booths. “Lance told me Malcolm’s looking at a promotion. I’ll wager you’ll want to return to your little island before long.”  
  
Tessa winced. The last time Malcolm had applied for a promotion, Central Homicide had been through the wringer trying to churn out the best possible results, within budget of course, to butter up the brass. Compared to that, being stranded on an deserted island didn’t sound like such a bad idea.  
  
“I’ll make sure to bring something to read this time, then,” Tessa said lightly as Tootsie received her two glasses of wine and turned to leave. Tessa slid off the bar stool, slipping the strap of her handbag over her shoulder.  
  
“Good choice.” Tootsie winked at her and then returned to the booth where Fisk looked up with a slight smile when she sat down. That smile made Tessa smile, and she decided not to follow the pathologist.  
  
As she instead approached the pool table, Dee was clearly in the process of humiliating Steve once more; she had all but a few balls left, and had shot them down by the time Tessa arrived.  
  
Dee whooped. “ _That’s_  how you do it, Steve-o. Nice and easy, posh and peasy.”  
  
Raising his hands in surrender, Steve chuckled. “I’ll bow to the master.”  
  
“Right you are,” Dee said, then shifted her stare to Tessa. “You up for a game, Tessa? Might be more of a challenge than this old guy.”  
  
Tessa grinned at the affronted look on Steve’s face, but decided to save him from further injury. “Actually, Steve’s my ride home.”  
  
“Aw, not yet! It’s not even ten!” For emphasis, Dee waved her pool cue towards the wall-mounted clock hanging behind the bar. “You don’t even have to get in early tomorrow. Steve told me.”  
  
Tessa and Steve shared a look, and he put down his pool cue on the table with a smirk. “The lady decides, Dee. I’m just the chauffeur tonight.”  
  
“You know what?” Putting down her own cue in defeat, Dee gave them both an exasperated stare. “That island changed you guys. You used to be a lot more fun.”  
  
 _She doesn’t know how right she is._  
  
“Give us time, Dee,” Steve said, shrugging. “We’ve only been back a week and spent most of that time in a hospital. Only got cleared for duty again today.” His hand reached down to Tessa’s lower back to nudge her forwards, an almost imperceptible motion that nearly caused her control to falter. “We’ll be back to normal before you know it.”  
  
“I’ll hold you to that!” Dee called after them as they traversed the tables between the pool table and the front door, Steve’s hand still guiding Tessa ever forward, gently but also impatiently; she felt all hot and flustered by the touch.  
  
Once out in the cool fresh evening air, Tessa turned to glare at him. “Thought we said ‘no touching’.”  
  
“Can’t help it,” Steve grinned and headed towards his parked car nearby. “Haven’t had a chance to do it all week with the two of us being cooped up in separate hospital rooms.”  
  
Tessa rolled her eyes as she got into his car and fastened her seat belt. “Well, don’t speed on our way home. I don’t wanna spend the night in a cell.”  
  
“Yes, ma’am,” Steve smirked and started the car.  
  
 **FIN**


	19. A Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere in their five-plus-year partnership, they'd just grown very close and she could honestly now say Steve was her best friend.

**Prompt:** 026\. Teammates  
 **Rating:** G (K)

* * *

  
Reclining on the couch with a novel, Tessa drew her feet up underneath her. It felt nice to just spend the day in peace and quiet. For once, her restless feet didn’t want to drag her up and about. It could have something to do with the fact one of them was lightly sprained, or the present company.  
  
“Here you go, one cuppa for the patient,” Steve said with a smile as he set a mug of tea on the low coffee table in front of her. Dressed in comfortable jeans and a navy T-shirt in favour of the temperate weather today, he didn’t look quite as stressed and tense as usual. In fact, the lines on his face were smooth as he settled down on the other end of the gray couch with her morning paper, unfolding it to reveal a large headline about an arson fire at some hotel in downtown Sydney.  
  
“Thanks,” Tessa smiled, putting the novel face-down across her thigh and reaching for the tea cup.  
  
Silence fell over them, but it was comfortable and without the tension Tessa had previously associated with the two of them. Somewhere in their five-plus-year partnership, they had just grown very close and she could honestly say Steve was her best friend. Not that they had ever crossed certain lines – that would just further complicate things – but they were the kind of friends that could pop by each other’s place on their day off and spend it together. Sometimes they were mostly silent, other times they talked and discussed things. It would be a lie to say work wasn’t their hottest topic, both of them being practically married to the job, but especially on their days off they tried to keep it to a minimum. Like today.  
  
Sipping her tea, Tessa replaced it on the coaster and picked up her novel again. It was one of her least work-related fictions, and a bit childish as well, but Bridget had talked her into starting reading the series a year ago, saying the series was just as appropriate to adults as it were for children. Although Steve had teased her relentlessly the first months, Tessa had pointedly told him reading Harry Potter was just as childish as watching old cartoons, which was one of Steve’s pastimes Tessa had stumbled on by accident.  
  
“What’s with the grin?” Steve asked suddenly, regarding her above the rim of the newspaper. Tessa’s smile widened and she winked at him.  
  
“I just remembered Spiderman’s on the box today. In fact, I think it started some five minutes ago,” Tessa added slyly as she cast a glance at the digital timer on her newly acquired DVD player. “You can still catch it.”  
  
“Ha-ha,” Steve drawled, giving her a small glare as he dug into the  _Sydney Morning Herald_ again. “I should’ve known it would come back to haunt me one day.”  
  
Tessa just chuckled, delving into her Harry Potter novel again.  
  
She didn’t know why the magical world with witches and wizards tickled her fancy only that it was a far cry from the world she usually wallowed in. And if she was truly sincere, it was nice to be able to escape reality from time to time. Not every day was a walk on roses and sunshine. There were more than enough monsters to haunt her nights for the next sixty years or so. If childhood had taught her one important lesson not pertaining to family matters it was how comic relief really did chase the shadows away. Reading cartoons before sleep had made the dreams pleasant, and the nightmares rare. And if it worked then, it might work now. God knew she needed it.  
  
Yawning, Tessa reached down to shift her sprained ankle lightly as she read. The novel took her mind away from the pain, but every once in a while it would flare up and spite her. And it didn’t just draw her attention.  
  
“You okay?”  
  
Tessa looked up at Steve’s worried features and smiled. “Nothing I can’t handle.” Really, it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle. She had been in worse scrapes before—not that she enjoyed the reminiscence—but this was a pin prick in comparison.  
  
Steve, however, wasn’t convinced. He laid the paper down on the table and gestured for her foot. “Right, come on. Give it over.”  
  
Tessa ignored the urge to roll her eyes at her partner’s gentlemanly ways, too used to the spontaneous neck rubs and massages to refuse one when he offered, so she shifted in her seat and stretched her leg across the empty space between them, landing her foot in his lap. Steve picked it up with ease and began to massage her leg just above the ankle through her slack jeans fabric, nimble fingers kneading into her muscles.  
  
It was Godsend, just like his apple pies and pasta dishes.  
  
Tessa sighed in content and tried to return to her novel, even though her mind strayed back to her partner every now and then, an odd and old friend returning to churn unnervingly in her stomach. Five-plus years spent as best friends and partners, somehow they had ended up always treading around each other carefully lest they do something against the rules.  
  
And it all came down to one night of too much raw fear.  
  
Some time in the early stages of their partnership, Steve had been shot at the hands of an old lover turned killer, and Tessa had been taken fourteen years back into the past. Sitting at his side in the wee hours of morning, everyone else having gone home for the night, Tessa had blurted out thickly how she felt about him, thinking him asleep. Steve had been anything but. The timing might’ve been better, but they talked about it that night. Just that one night and then they went back to familiar grounds, tense and empty but in mutual agreement.  
  
Tessa could feel the strain occasionally, like now when his warmth surrounded her leg, but she thought she had gotten very good at hiding it and certainly at ignoring it. For now, she was content to be where they were, not venturing further into uncharted and unstable territory. After all, her childhood hadn’t just taught her reading cartoons were good for sleeping at night.  
  
“Sure feels good to be off today,” Steve sighed, smiling, his hands relentless. “Feels like I’ve already lost a couple of years off my shoulders,” he admitted. “Any plans for the night?”  
  
“Apart from the obvious sitting down?” Tessa retorted and rolled her eyes at the foot in his hands. “Dunno. Stay here and work something out. I’m not exactly fit for the gym.”  
  
“I dunno about that. You were pretty quick on your feet earlier when you had to run for the phone.” Steve grinned, his dimples showing. It made her stomach churn again.  
  
“So my foot’s healing, but it’s not in any shape for rock-climbing. I’ll give it a day or two.”  
  
“Right...and find yourself another suspect to chase down at work tomorrow?” Steve frowned and added, “I don’t think it’ll heal just yet if you carry on like that.”  
  
It was the first time Steve had mentioned the situation that had landed her here. The evident disagreement was in his tone and Tessa felt herself bristle, retracting her foot from his grasp sharply.  
  
“Well, I’m sorry for wanting to catch a killer,” she muttered and rose from the couch on unsteady feet, the novel left resting across the arm rest.  
  
“Tess...” Steve started and followed her up and into the kitchenette where she found an apple to assault. “Look, I’m sorry. I’m just worried, you know?”  
  
Yes, she knew. God, she knew too well. How many times hadn’t she seen the raw fear in his eyes when she was hurt? How many times mustn’t he have seen it when the roles were reversed? Steve was just that kind of guy. He worried. He cared. He would probably think he cared too much and try to hide it, but Tessa was getting to know him pretty well.  
  
She sighed. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m overreacting.” _Again..._  The knife she held in her hand paused as she closed her eyes, pushing back the burning feeling behind them. She was such a cry-baby. Steve stepped up and laid a hand on her shoulder. Tessa tilted her head at him and smiled. “I’m all right. Or at least I will be.”  
  
The worry on Steve’s face gave way for his usual smile. “I know you will. Though, I doubt that apple will. You’re gonna kill it, you know,” he added and Tessa looked startled down on her apple. Her knife had made quick progress of it automatically and nearly mashed it into odd pieces. She chuckled.  
  
“That’ll just make it that much easier to eat. You want some?”  
  
“Sure,” Steve winked.

**FIN**


	20. You had me from day one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She knew she shouldn’t put herself through this. Knew she should just turn around and walk out that door like nothing had happened; that she hadn’t just witnessed him lip-locked with some floozy in a dark corner of the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a teeny tiny bit OOC, but I don't care. I'm a rebel. :P

**Prompts:**  095. New Year  
 **Rating:**  T  
  


* * *

She knew she shouldn’t put herself through this. Knew she should just turn around and walk out that door like nothing had happened; that she hadn’t just witnessed him lip-locked with some floozy in a dark corner of the bar.  
  
Rationally, she knew it. Irrationally, she didn’t. Instead, she stood rooted to the spot, fingers clenched tightly around her champagne glass flute as the noisy countdown to midnight rang out behind her.  
  
It was only when he spotted her in the corner of his eye that she startled and scurried away as if bitten, her heart and head both pounding furiously. Uncaring where she ended up, she pushed through the thick crowd until she found a piece of space somewhere on the opposite end of the room.  
  
“Ten! Nine! Eight!” All around her, the crowd chanted the numbers as they appeared on the television screens above the bar. “Seven! Six!”  
  
Feeling as if she might hyperventilate, she shook her head, staring wildly around herself until she found the door. She needed air. Desperately.  
  
“Five! Four!”  
  
Pushing people aside again, she stumbled to the door, put her weight against it, and finally escaped into fresh air as the final “Three! Two! One!” erupted from the crowd, each number louder than the previous. As the door swung shut, she heard the cheers and shouts as if underwater: low, muddled, distant.  
  
She inhaled sharply, feeling the hot air flare through her nostrils, giving her some much needed oxygen. Deep, slow breaths – until she could open her eyes and see the world for what it was and not some illusion.  
  
“Tess.”  
  
 _No. Don’t come here. Go away._ She squeezed her eyes shut, half forgetting to breathe again. “I think I’ve had a bit too much to drink,” she heard herself say with a shaky laugh, clearly on the verge of panic. “I’m—um—I think I’m going to go home.”  
  
“I can take you, just let me get my jacket.”  
  
Always a gentleman. Always so noble. Well, until he wasn’t.  
  
 _He doesn’t owe me anything,_  she chided herself.  _We’re just partners. Friends. Nothing more. I’m being silly._  
  
“No, no, I’m fine. I’ll just take a cab.” Forgetting her champagne glass flute was still in her hand, she began to walk away towards the closest cab station.  
  
“Tess,” he repeated, a little more exasperated…but also hesitantly? No, she had to imagine it. Why would he feel hesitance? He had no obligations to her. “Tess.”  
  
“I’m okay, Steve.” She couldn’t look at him, but she turned briefly and waved back towards the bar. “You should go back inside, enjoy the party. I’ll see you at work.”  
  
And she walked away, heart still pounding, feeling as if her body wanted nothing more than sink straight through the ground and stay there. Since it was physically impossible unless she went across an open manhole, she opted instead for delving deep into bed and stay there until whatever she was currently feeling went away.  
  
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t let her.  
  
Just minutes after she’d gotten into her apartment and thrown off her shoes, purse and jacket, he knocked on the door. She knew it had to be him; every nerve in her body was telling her so, and her heart leapt into her throat.  
  
He could be so tenacious.  
  
She considered not opening the door; considered sticking to her plan and revising it to include shutting off her mobile phone and disconnecting the landline. But the invisible magnetic pull wouldn’t let go of her. Instead, it dragged her to the door, heart racing.  
  
“You shouldn’t be here, Steve,” she told the closed door, hand resting on the knob.  
  
“Tess…” That damn inflection again. It made her stomach crazy with flutters. “Could you please let me in?”  
  
Tears gathered in her eyes now. She squeezed them tightly shut, hoping it’d stop them from falling. “It’s not a good time right now. I’m going to bed.”  
  
“I won’t take long.” He sounded so pained, her body betrayed her: a stray tear escaped. “Please? Just two minutes and I’ll go.”  
  
Her throat thickened, her body tensed, but in the end the pull was too great. Rationally, she knew she shouldn’t do it. Irrationally, she knew she couldn’t _not_ do it. But she retreated as far into her apartment as she could after opening the locks, arms wrapped tightly around her torso.  
  
The door opened slowly, hesitantly, and she caught a glimpse of pained eyes before she looked away to stare at her aquarium.  
  
Silence fell. Horrible, suffocating silence as thick as smog.  
  
“I just wanted to say sorry.” His voice was hushed, as if afraid to break the tension. “It wasn’t what…” He paused abruptly and she heard him shift uneasily on her feet. “Tess, could you please look at me?”  
  
She wanted to sob at that, but that’d mean revealing everything and she’d worked so hard until now to keep her composure around him. With a tense turn, she tilted her head up and finally met his gaze.  
  
He truly was in pain. It seemed plain as day. Almost as broken as the time Suzanne Delacourt had invaded his life again.  
  
But he’d been happier since then. He’d shared his infectious smiles with her. His laughs. His jokes. And she’d fallen. Harder than she’d done for Ezra, for Brett.  
  
She just hadn’t known he’d fallen too.  
  
“I’m sorry.” He didn’t say any more. He just stood there, arms at his side, the door still open behind him, heart on his sleeve. And it seemed clear as day that he knew as well. Had seen straight through her, just like she’d feared.  
  
It was this little detail she suddenly clung on to, as if this was nothing more than one of their standard investigations and she was the suspect desperate to know how she’d been found out. “How long’ve you known?”  
  
“Some time.” A guilty look seemed to pass his face. “Tess, I…”  
  
“Didn’t do anything wrong,” she said shakily, suddenly needing to push this entire conversation away from existence. “I’m just your partner. You don’t have to explain yourself.”  
  
“Yes, I do.” His expression suddenly changed, his lips gaining that determined curl. “You’re not just my partner, Tess, you’re—“  
  
“Please, don’t.” Her heart was in her throat again, pounding furiously away, stealing her breath away, but he ignored her.  
  
“—not just my friend, either.” He stepped towards her, even though she unconsciously retreated at the same time. “That’s why I’m sorry. I should’ve stopped her before she got as far as she did.”  
  
The wall was at her back now and in the corner of her eye, she noticed the door begin to swing shut as a hot breeze shot through the apartment. She panicked, felt along the wall for her escape, but Steve was already three feet away and coming closer still.  
  
“She’s not the one I wanted to kiss tonight.” His voice had turned husky now, drawing her in, hook, line and sinker. Her body began to tremble, hot and cold at the same time, and she felt her knees half begin to buckle.  
  
“Steve…” She barely managed to utter his name, her voice thick with emotion, and she saw him hesitate. Grasping the moment, her rational mind clung to whatever sanity she had left. “Why…? Why now?”  
  
The door closed behind him and the deadlock slid automatically in place. There’d be no escape now. Not that she could anyway; Steve had raised his hand to cup her cheek and her stomach plummeted into flutters, stopping the breath in her throat.  
  
“Because it’s New Year’s, and…because I give up,” he said hushed, his eyes pained again as he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone. “I’ve tried to ignore this for so long, but I can’t anymore.” He took another step forward and tilted his head slightly to the side, his voice low. “You make it impossible, Tess.”  
  
She was burning up, her eyes fluttering half-closed, her chest heaving slightly, and still he was reeling her in. She felt herself leaning forward too, her lips parted in a hushed, “I do?”  
  
Steve chuckled suddenly, his gaze softening, and his hand gently guided her closer until she could feel his hot breath on her skin. “You had me from day one.”  
  
And then he kissed her.  
  
She felt like she was falling, her eyes closed, her hands snaking around his strong neck in an effort to just keep afloat. Distantly, she felt his arms encircle her too; they clutched her tightly to him, even as his body shuffled forward until he had her pinned against the wall. It sent her body into overdrive and she gasped for air amidst kisses, her fingers digging hard into his hair, mussing it up.  
  
She never wanted to let go.  
  
Soon, however, she could feel the kiss come to a close and Steve pulled back until just the tips of their noses were touching. He was panting, same as her, and his skin was burning hot, just like hers. She’d never felt as if she had too many clothes on before, but she certainly did now.  
  
“So what now?” she managed to ask eventually, her heart still hammering in her chest.  
  
“I don’t know,” he said shakily, and leaned his forehead on hers. “I didn’t think that far ahead.”  
  
Somehow, that made her chuckle. “I thought _I_  was supposed to be the impulsive one.”  
  
“Guess you’ve rubbed off on me.” Steve smiled and their eyes met. His hand reached up to cup her cheek again. “But I want you to know I didn’t come here with some ulterior motive or to deliver cheesy lines just so I could get you in bed.” His gaze softened. “I don’t want to screw this up. I hope I haven’t already.”  
  
Tessa smiled, her eyes tearing up a little. Somehow, she felt a little braver. “That depends. Was this just a one-time thing? Or did you mean what you said?”  
  
“Every word,” Steve said lowly, significantly. He caressed her cheek. “The rest is up to you, Tess.”  
  
The way he said her name… God, it always hit her right in the gut, spreading flutters everywhere. It was like a spell to ensnare her, and yet he was handing her the reins. The power to choose. The power to destroy, if she wanted to.  
  
She didn’t.  
  
“You had me from day one too.” Half-forgetting to breathe as their eyes met again, Tessa cupped his cheek in return and smiled at the wide grin spreading across his face. “But let’s figure out the rest tomorrow. Right now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to let you go.”  
  
She blushed at her own audacity, then yelped a little when Steve tugged her closer and nuzzled her nose before teasing the corner of her lips with his own. “You sure?”  
  
Blood suddenly pounded harder than ever beneath her skin, but it didn’t deter her. Instead it drove her forward, claiming his lips with a gasped, “Yeah.”  
  
Rationally, she knew she should stop. Irrationally, she knew she couldn’t. None of that mattered, though. All that mattered was that when she woke up the next morning, cuddled up to Steve, she didn’t panic.  
  
Instead, she grinned. Like a stupid teenage girl.  
  
 **FIN  
  
**


	21. Insubordination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally meant to be part of a larger story, but suffered greatly from a years-long writer's block that still hasn't let up. As such, I'm posting this part instead as a separate story. It is set in a future where there have been a few changes in Homicide. (Thorne and Steve have both moved up the ranks, and Tessa and Steve have gotten a few new colleagues - Benny and Chris. A woman named Hobbs has also taken Thorne's position when he moved up.)

**Prompt:** 038\. Touch  
 **Rating:**  Teen  
  


* * *

She knew it was coming. The way his jaw was set and his hard eyes were staring stoically at the floor confirmed his behaviour in the car earlier, and she simply waited for the blow to come. It would eventually. Though she dreaded it actually happening—she hated to see him angry, especially when it was because of her—Tessa knew she would prefer having his feelings out in the open instead of being given the silent treatment. At least then she knew what or who her enemy was and she could deal with it.  
  
Stepping away from the doorway of Room Three and closing the door behind her, Tessa studied Steve’s rigid shoulders and the way he sat at the edge of the examination table cradling his bandaged left arm. By the way his back straightened, she knew he was preparing himself. She looked down on the floor, hands wrung nervously behind her back.  
  
None of them said anything for the first few moments. At last, when Steve spoke, his voice rose quickly in tone and temper,  _“What in the blazes were you thinking?”_  
  
Tessa did not reply, simply because she knew it would not matter what she said, and also because she did not know what to say. What  _had_  she been thinking?  
  
 _You were thinking about that body in the harbour. You couldn’t let go of him. You never can._  
  
“I  _told_  you,” said Steve, his voice bristling in barely controlled energy, “‘it’s not our case anymore.’ We were  _told_ to let it go. We were told to  _leave Donovan alone_!” He flung his arms out, features immediately contorting in pain as he quickly grasped his left arm.  
  
Tessa took an unconscious step forward, throat thick and heart stabbing into her chest. “I’m so—“ she began to say, but Steve cut her off, whirling his head in her direction, eyes wild and dark. ”Dammit, Tessa! You could have DIED!” he yelled angrily, his voice reverberating off the walls of the sterile hospital room. “Why can’t you ever  _listen_ to me?”  
  
Tessa shrunk away from him, arms hanging down at her sides, her eyes beginning to burn.  
  
Steve jumped off the examination table, taking a step towards her, waving his good arm while holding the other tight to his chest, “Why do you ALWAYS have to be so  _bloody reckless_? You’re always rushing in and you don’t give a rat’s ass about back-up or consequences – you just want to get in there! Is it so HARD to stop for a moment to THINK? The man’s a bloody crime lord, Tessa! That’s spelled ‘dangerous’. DANGEROUS!”  
  
Tessa blinked. Steve’s presence loomed threateningly above her. The air was crackling with energy, none of it good; she almost forgot how to breathe.  
  
“I was just—“  
  
“No!” interjected Steve, snapping a hand up. “Save your excuses and explanations for Hobbs –  _I don’t want to hear them_!” He glared at her for another second before twirling on his heels with a “gah!” and striding to the other side of the room. He turned as soon as he reached the other side, exasperated. “I just can’t believe it, Tessa – we’ve been partners for  _eight years_  and you still haven’t changed a bit! You’re still reckless, obsessed, stubborn and showing no concern for whose lives you endanger by throwing yourself into situations without thinking!”  
  
Tessa squeezed her eyes shut as hot, silent tears flowed down her cheeks. She brought her arms up to hug her upper body tightly, body shaking all over. Her legs felt weak and her jaw was quivering. She found the wall at her back and kept her head down as she half-blocked out Steve’s continued verbal assaults at her person.  
  
 _“—I’m your supervisor now, not just your partner! I can’t cover for—“_  
  
Her mind was reeling, waves of guilt and embarrassment rushing through her. Her whole body was aching as well—her legs from exertion, her elbow where it had been slammed into the concrete, her back from where Steve’s weight had landed . . .  
  
 _“—Hobbs will have my hide, and what can I tell her? ‘Sorry, I let my detective—“_  
  
God, how could she have been so stupid? Steve was right. She had been reckless and obsessed, like she always had. Eight years and she was still the same, whereas he had stayed that one step ahead of her. He was  _her supervisor_  and she had jeopardised his position by sidestepping his direct order and following her own moral code.  
  
 _“—mean, you could have gotten yourself KILLED! They were FIRING on—“_  
  
Tessa caught up to that last snippet, opening her eyes and finding her black, scraped shoes. What did she care that SHE had nearly died? Her obsession and stubborn streak had landed them both in this situation. Steve had only been there to get her out, to save her from losing her job, and what had he received in return? A chunk of his arm had been shot off. Right now Tessa did not care whether Steve got in trouble with Hobbs – HE could have died, and it would have been all her fault. Skip that, it was all her fault.  
  
 _God, he must hate me so much._  
  
That thought hurt Tessa more than she could have imagined. Steve was her best friend—losing him was . . . a horrible, horrible thought.  
  
Struggling to control her trembling, Tessa tipped her head up and found Steve facing her, his good arm once more cradling his injured one. He looked like he had wanted to say something but suddenly stopped; his mouth was half-open. His eyes were still hard and dark, however, and Tessa could not for the life of her see how she could make good what had obviously been broken.  
  
“I  _warned_  you,” said Steve lowly. “I  _told_  you not to get involved. It was the feds’ investigation, not ours, but you never listen—you just jump in and expect everything to sort themselves out in the end.“  
  
He paused, taking a step towards her. Unconsciously, Tessa pressed herself against the wall. Steve tilted his head slightly, peering at her with narrowed eyes.  
  
“You know what your problem is, Tessa?” asked Steve finally. “You’ve been lucky. You’ve always gotten out of trouble with barely any scrape. It’s made you complacent,” he added with a touch of steel. “ _You_  might be invincible, Tessa, but the rest of us are just flesh and blood. When we get hurt, we bleed.”  
  
An air of finality fell over them. They locked eyes. Steve’s uncompromising and unrelenting stare won the battle. Tessa bowed her head down once more, tears still flowing freely, taking a deep breath. She let go of her white-knuckled grip on her upper arm with one hand and reached up to wipe the tear tracks off. An ounce of control returned to her once her hot cheeks were relatively dry. Raising her chin up, Tessa met Steve’s expressionless face with a bravado she did not know she possessed.  
  
“I’m sorry,” she said, inwardly wincing at her slightly croaky voice. “I really am. I messed up. Big time. I never thought—“ She paused, taking a small breath, “I never thought people were gonna get hurt. I’m—I’m sorry _you_  got hurt.”  
  
Her voice broke at the final word and she turned her head quickly away lest he saw her tears in free fall again. Pushing off the wall, Tessa wiped her cheeks and nose with the sleeve of her sweater. She turned towards the door.  
  
“I’ll leave you alone now,” said Tessa demurely, barely looking over her shoulder, hand already on the doorknob. “See you tomorrow.”  
  
She fully intended to go through that door, but just as she opened the door and started pulling it towards her, something yanked her arm away and twirled her around. Tessa barely got a glimpse of Steve’s face before she was wrapped tightly in his strong arms, her own trapped against his broad chest.  
  
“God, Tess . . .” he whispered immediately into her ear. “I thought I was going to lose you.”  
  
Tessa was shocked. Her back was stiff and screaming against the arms pulling her tighter and tighter. Her neck tensed and she could hardly remember to breathe.  
  
He was supposed to be angry with her! Why was he saying those words so—so—so _fearfully_? Like he was afraid. But Steve was angry. He had just spent long moments shouting at her, nearly screaming. He wasn’t supposed to snuggle into the crook of her neck like that, or breathing down her neck so shivers ran cold down her spine . . .  
  
As her legs grew weaker, Tessa found no will in her to struggle against Steve’s grip, and she even thought it was pretty good to be held like that. As if she had been the one lying on the ground bleeding and in need of comfort . . .  
  
Tessa let herself sink into Steve’s arms, thankful when he loosened his grip so she could slip her arms around him and hug him back. As his hug tightened again, she fisted her hands in his shirt and snuggled into the warm, strong chest as if her life depended on it. Before she could restrain herself, she was shaking and crying silently once more, but Steve held her hard, almost too hard. He did not speak another word, but he dropped a kiss on her neck and nuzzled his nose into her hair. Instinctively, Tessa sought upwards, dragging her face across his chest until she reached his shoulder. She found his neck and Steve’s overwhelming scent drifted through her nostrils just as he breathed down her neck, making her shiver—whether from crying or something else, Tessa didn’t know, but she knew she needed more. This was not enough.  
  
Dragging her arms slowly around his chest, Tessa snaked them up and around his neck, forcing her to stand on tiptoe. Steve’s arms fell down to her waist, pulling her closer and connecting the lower region of their stomachs.  
  
The effect was immediate.  
  
Tessa turned her head and suddenly Steve’s lips were touching her neck, her cheek, the corner of her lips . . .  
  
The kiss was first merely a peck, then a firm press, then soft and moving, then insisting, then hot and wet . . . Tessa pushed further up on her toes, pulling him ever closer, needing the contact, the connection—needing it like she needed air. And Steve complied, tightening his grip around her waist, helping her up, never losing the touch of her lips even as Tessa slipped slightly and had to steady herself. Only a small smile and they were kissing again, Tessa’s hands raking through his hair, steering his head just slightly to the—  
  
“Well, Mr Hayden! It seems—oh! I’m sorry!”  
  
Tessa’s eyes widened as she broke away from Steve, who looked stunned and even a bit . . . annoyed? They locked eyes and Tessa’s heart caught in her throat at the domineering emotion flashing in Steve’s dark orbs.  
  
“Should I come back?” asked the stranger’s voice hesitantly and both of them snapped out of it.  
  
Tessa turned her back almost immediately, taking several steps away from Steve and only meeting the doctor’s eyes briefly in passing as she practically bolted from the room.  
  


* * *

  
The ride home could not be explained any other way than ‘awkward’. Neither of them had said a word since they ran into each other outside the hospital earlier.  
  
After her initial bolt, Tessa had taken a trip outside to get some fresh air and sort out her thoughts. As expected, she had no idea what she really was thinking, but one thing that kept recurring was that it had all been a fluke. They had been down this road before, after all, though they had never allowed it to get so far as it did earlier.  
  
She acknowledged the fact her nerves had been standing on end since she saw the three men be shot earlier and the consequent escape from their killer, but that was it. They had needed that contact, both of them, but not because of some higher ulterior motive other than needing some reassurance they were still alive. That’s what the logical part of Tessa’s brain was telling her, even though her stomach was fluttering and her blood pounding like a teenager after her first date.  
  
When she had seen Steve come out of the hospital, looking as calm and stoic as ever, Tessa had quickly buried whatever emotion had been raging in her and regained that faithful professional mask. She asked him if he wanted her to give him a ride home, he said ‘yes, thank you’, and that was it.  
  
Sitting in the car, however, Tessa’s neck, shoulder, back and even hands were tense as wire and there was no hiding it. Surprisingly, though, Steve had not mentioned it. He simply sat quietly in the front passenger seat, cradling his arm and staring out on the passing streets and buildings.  
  
It was Thursday night and people were already out on the streets, hitting the clubs and pubs. Tootsie, Fisk, Dee, Chris and Benny were probably at the bar now, enjoying after-shift drinks and sharing funny anecdotes about someone or something.  
Tessa did not feel like joining them. She would much rather prefer to go home and try to forget tonight had ever happened, which was a very difficult task seeing as all she could taste and smell was Steve.  
  
God, not only had she been kissing her supervising Sergeant, she had practically jumped him! She could feel it in her bones that there had been rubbing, as electricity buzzed beneath her skin seeking fulfilment. In one fluid motion she had probably thrown both her friendship and career out the window.  
  
 _You weren’t the only one in that kiss; you know that. You both took control.  
‘But he’s a man.’  
Bad excuse._  
  
Tessa shook her head, willing the thoughts away. It was hard. Very much like telling a dog to stop barking. She always had her mind on overdrive. That was why she had trouble sleeping. There was too much going on inside her head.  
  
A sudden honk startled her out of her train of thought and Tessa only had a fraction of a second to realise she had almost violated the give-way rule. She stood on the brake and the car screeched to a halt.  
  
 _Damn, that’s the second time!_  
  
Tessa watched as the offended driver blinked his headlights at her before speeding down the street. She took a deep breath, put the gear in first and drove on.  
  
Steve still said nothing. She felt like he was waiting for something, but she could not understand what. What could she say without messing things up further?  
  
Fortunately, Arthur Street was in her eyesight and she gladly took the turn down the slightly shabby road until slowing down in front of Steve’s two-storey house. As the car came to a halt, she let the engine run, hands white-knuckled on the steering wheel. Self-consciously, she let one hand fall into her lap, hoping she appeared not as tense as she was.  
  
Tessa looked over at Steve, who was fiddling with his seatbelt. Once he was free, he glanced at her, his face covered in shadows. She had no idea what he was thinking.  
  
“So . . . will you be okay?” she asked awkwardly, trying to smile, trying to be brave, trying not to be the train wreck she felt like.  
  
“Yeah,” said Steve after a short moment. “I’ll be all right. They gave me some strong painkillers, so I’ll probably be out like a light soon enough.” He sounded calm, if not a bit stilted.  
  
“That’s good,” agreed Tessa, at the same time cursing the way one night had turned them down to almost basic line of communications. It felt wrong in every possible way. Dejected, she cast a glance at the road, knowing it would probably get her the effect she wanted.  
  
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” mumbled Steve, turning awkwardly to open the door with his good hand. Soon he was out of the car, leaning down slightly in polite gratitude. “Thanks for the ride.”  
  
“No problem,” replied Tessa. “Tomorrow then.”  
  
Steve nodded and then closed the door with a small bang. Drawing her eyes away from him, Tessa put the car in gear and set off down the road before she could think twice.  
  
It was for the better for both of them. Neither of them was thinking clearly tonight. They could talk tomorrow after some sleep and coffee. Go about this night logically, reasonably.  
  
 _And utterly pathetically._  
  
Tessa ran a hand across her face, eyes beginning to burn again. There was nothing she could do about it. She had messed up so much tonight already. She could always handle a reprimand or even a transfer, but not losing her best friend. Not losing Steve.  
  
 _You almost lost him tonight. You were prepared to leave him, yet he held you back. Shouldn’t that mean something?_  
  
If it did, Tessa had no idea what, or else she did not want to entertain the thought for long. Getting her hopes up was something she had gotten burned for many times in the past. Eventually she had learned to just stop hoping and start being realistic.  
The fact of the matter was that they had been partners and friends for eight years—she was not about to jeopardise that by doing something foolish. Besides, Steve was high on painkillers; he probably did not even know what he had been doing in that hospital room. Just like that other time he had been shot and lay in the ambulance telling her how beautiful eyes she had . . .  
  
 _‘It’s the drugs talking,’_  she had told the emergency worker, embarrassed.  
  
And yet . . . the man had replied,  _‘I haven’t given him any’._  
  
The memory stirred something in her and Tessa practically slammed on the brake just before reaching the end of the street.  
  
Leaning her head against the wheel, she let out a soft sigh while blinking away unshed tears. She should not be driving; she was too distant and too tense. The other alternative was to cave and go back, or be stubborn and continue. But after tonight’s events . . .  
  
Tessa did not want to be alone. She was sick of being alone, of coming home to an empty apartment after a horrible day at work, of sleeping with loneliness as her bedmate and dreaming of finding the one man who could fill up that emptiness inside her.  
  
The kiss earlier reminded her that she had been single for seven or eight years now, not counting the few dates or affairs she had been convinced to participate in. She was 36 years old, married to her job, and ignoring her emotions.  
  
One thing she could not ignore was the quivering electricity thrumming underneath her skin . . . Tessa knew her body was screaming for release, but what awaited her at home could only satisfy her partially.  
  
Making a split-second decision, Tessa backed the car into a nearby drive and swung it around to face the other direction. She made a conscious decision not to think too much as she sped down the road again, the knots in her back getting knots as she grew more and more tense.  
  
As Steve’s house came into her sight, Tessa stopped; putting the car in park while the engine still ran.  
  
She looked at her watch. It had been only ten minutes. She really was desperate.  
  
Sitting in the dark of the night staring up at the lit windows, Tessa started to second-guess her impulsive decision. She should back out now, before Steve heard the engine and saw she was simply sitting there, like a stalker. This had been a stupid idea. What had she been thinking, really? The man was high on painkillers and not in any condition to—  
  
A knock on her window startled her out of her thoughts. Tessa stared wide-eyed up at a dark silhouette, and swallowed when the door opened. Steve leaned down between the body of the car and the door, his face barely visible in the darkness.  
  
“You coming in or are you gonna sit here all night?” he asked with a touch of gentleness and seriousness.  
  
 _Busted. Try and get yourself out of this one._  
  
In reply, Tessa nodded and turned off the engine. Steve stepped aside to let her out and went ahead of her into the house. Tessa followed more hesitantly in his wake, locking the car behind her, anticipation twisting her stomach.  
Soft light met her as she stepped across the threshold. Steve had already made his way into the kitchen and had two cups of tea ready on the counter. He poured hot water into the cups and picked them up.  
  
“Here.” He handed her one of the cups. His face was expressionless. “You should drink it.”  
  
Not knowing what to say, Tessa simply thanked him and drank the scalding tea. Meanwhile her mind went on overdrive in order to find some explanation to Steve’s obvious trust in her return. She could find none, that is if she thought it through logically. If she took the other approach . . .  
  
“Am I that easy to read?” she asked with a touch of frustration in her voice. Steve leaned against the kitchen counter, bandaged arm resting in the crook of his elbow.  
  
“If you’re talking about your little trip to the harbour earlier, then yes. You’re easy to read.” Steve’s face did not change as he spoke. “If you’re talking about the tea . . . I had no idea you were gonna sit out in front of my house.”  
  
Confused, Tessa cradled her teacup in both hands. “Then . . . why?”  
  
“I always have two cups ready on the counter,” replied Steve obviously, and this time amusement shone in his eyes. “You never know when you’re gonna get visitors.”  
  
For some reason, it made Tessa smile. The guileless look on his face eventually drew a giggle out of her, and her stomach jumped gloriously in response when he grinned.  
  
“I guess that’s some farmer’s tradition,” teased Tessa, feeling slightly more at ease. The way Steve’s eyes kept staring at her, however, made her withdraw her look and glance elsewhere.  
  
They drank their tea for a moment more and then Steve spoke up, “Why’d you come back?” He was still looking at her oddly. Tessa squirmed underneath his stare, her insides fluttering.  
  
“I don’t know,” she replied honestly. She did not know what else to say. It was not like she could just up and admit what her impulse had been in that second it took her to turn the car around. She did not want to be that desperate.  
  
The sound of a cup meeting a counter top made Tessa glance up and she tensed when she saw Steve approaching her slowly. Her grip on her own cup tightened.  
  
“Was it because of tonight?” asked Steve lowly, stepping around her. Tessa did not dare to turn around, afraid of what she would see. Besides, this way she would not have to see his response to her answer.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“That’s a bit ambiguous,” chided Steve and Tessa could feel his presence close by. She felt like being watched, like being under scrutiny for some test. When Steve did not continue to speak, Tessa tensed.  
  
Defensively, she replied, “This isn’t easy, you know.”  
  
“Why not?” retorted Steve, suddenly standing close by. Tessa finally turned, mustering whatever willpower and bravery she had. She met his eyes.  
  
“Because it’s something we’ve never said anything about before. Because I’m terrified I’m going to mess up again.”  
  
Confused, Steve tilted his head. “Mess up? When did you mess up?”  
  
“Earlier!” hissed Tessa, waving her hand into the air for emphasis. “When I ignored your orders and consequently landed myself in a shipload of trouble, of which I came out with only a sore elbow and some bruises, but which you came out with a brand new gunshot wound!”  
  
“Well, it wasn’t very smart,” agreed Steve, but he sounded too blasé about it, too casual. Tessa was frustrated.  
  
“Is that all? You yell at me for ten minutes and now it’s suddenly all right?”  
  
“I didn’t say it was all right,” he replied, “I only said it wasn’t very smart. But I’m done yelling at you.” He paused, mulling something over. “Frankly, I hate it. I hate the fact that me being your supervisor means I have to chew you out when you do something stupid. I hate that it also means I can’t comfort you afterwards because I was the one who made you cry. I never wanted to make you cry.”  
  
“That’s just me being silly,” argued Tessa feebly. “I deserved everything you threw at me. I was everything you said I was.”  
  
“But that’s not all you are, Tess,” said Steve softly, stepping closer. He brushed away a stray tear trickling down her cheek. “You’re smart, funny, compassionate, pretty . . . I should have said those things too. I wanted to say them earlier. When those guns started firing . . . I thought we were done for.”  
  
Tessa let her tears fall freely as anticipation coiled in her belly. “Is that why you hugged me?”  
  
Steve hesitated. “Partly,” he admitted. He took a deep breath. “Tess, we’ve been in a lot of dangerous situations before, but tonight . . . I was really terrified. I think I yelled at you not only because you needed a bit of a chew, but also because you scared the hell out of me. I thought I was going to lose you. I had a bad feeling when I realised you’d run off, and I kept imagining what had happened to you. When I found you alive and well, I was relieved, but then they came after us—I heard the shots whine over our heads and I kept thinking:  _‘this is it. This time we won’t make it._ ’”  
  
“But we did,” interjected Tessa, feeling a need to brighten the solemn atmosphere. “We made it.”  
  
Steve smiled then. “Yes, we did. This time.” He paused for another fraction, and then looked at her seriously. “What did you mean when you said you came because of something we have never spoken about before?”  
  
Tessa wavered, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place. She could feel it in her entire being that this was is. Now was the time for truth. Only problem was, how could she phrase something she did not have entirely sorted out logically in her brain?  
  
“I—I—“ she halted, pausing in frustration when she could not find the words. Steve continued to stare expectantly at her, his eyes glazing over with that same odd emotion she had witnessed earlier, but not the one that had scared her away from the hospital room. That one had been of an entirely different calibre.  
  
Putting down the teacup she had forgotten in her hands, Tessa decided words would not be enough to convey her half-understood reason for coming back. In two steps she was inside Steve’s personal space, peering at him hesitantly for a second before bravely tiptoeing and touching her lips to his.  
  
It was merely a brief kiss, but it still made her neck tense and her stomach full of butterflies. She met Steve’s dark eyes, witnessing the transformation from surprise to pleasure, and finally dared to smile when he grinned down at her.  
  
“That’s what you wanted to say?” he said and his tone was teasing. Tessa felt safe to roll her eyes.  
  
“Not all,” she responded, reaching up to kiss him again.  
  
This time his arms snaked around her waist and pulled her close as Tessa flung her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, growing in intensity just like before in the hospital room. Steve’s lips were soft and insisting, and Tessa’s heart was pounding in her throat by the time they pulled back.  
  
“Some things really say more than a thousand words,” claimed Steve with a teasing smile. Tessa grinned, feeling like a teenager.  
  
“That’s an understatement,” she agreed, then sobered up, releasing her grip on his shoulders. “So what happens now?” she asked nervously.  
  
Steve looked nervous as well. “I don’t know. It’s not something we can take back.” He paused, his arms falling down to hang at his sides. Tension crackled the air. “I guess I have to ask: what do you want?”  
  
Tessa swallowed, tears filling her eyes. “I don’t want to be alone,” she admitted thickly. “Does that make me pathetic?”  
  
“If it does, I’d say it makes us both pathetic,” said Steve, smiling briefly. He shifted slightly on his feet, taking a moment to gather his wits about him. When he next looked at her, Tessa saw that scary and wondrous emotion that had filled his eyes in the hospital room. “I was really scared tonight,” he whispered, reaching up to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “I know at least one thing, Tess, and that’s that I don’t want to lose you.”  
  
“I don’t want to lose you either,” said Tessa, giving him a teary smile. The thumb running down her cheek was comforting, warm and inviting. “You’re my best friend, Steve, and I don’t want to ruin that just because I’m feeling the blues and running high on adrenaline.”  
  
“So what do we do?” asked Steve lowly.  
  
“I don’t know,” said Tessa. “My mind’s all fuzzy. I can’t think straight.” Even so, Tessa knew what her body was telling her. It wanted to lean into Steve’s touch and drown in his scent.  
  
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” suggested Steve slowly. “Think straight, I mean. Maybe we should forgo the reasonable approach and just . . .” he drifted off, but his meaning was clear in the dark of his eyes.  
  
“What about tomorrow?” asked Tessa hesitantly, afraid.  
  
Steve cupped her cheek in his palm. “Let’s not worry about that. Let’s agree to let tomorrow happen tomorrow and tonight happen tonight.”  
  
Tessa smiled nervously. “Sounds romantic,” she mumbled teasingly. She peered up at him. “Okay.”  
  
Steve’s grin was infectious.  
  
 **FIN**


	22. Before the Dawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A phone call and his life had torn apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A really angst piece, and also an attempt to play around with structure and narrative...

**Prompts:**  031. Sunrise  
**Rating:** G

* * *

  
A phone call and his life had torn apart. A throaty voice, hoarse from unspeakable terrors, thick with tears. Gasping goodbye.  
    And with a click, the connection was dead.  


 

***

  
It took a moment before realisation sunk in.  
    Then his stomach plummeted. His knuckles clenched. His body went cold.  


 

***

  
Things went on automatic after that:  
    A quick call to the tech guys to trace the call.  
    A quick call to the boss to assemble the troops.

 

A desperate attempt to call her back.

  
***

  
No luck.  
    Phone was dead. GPS was gone. No one had seen her since last night. Just him.

 

And he’d yelled at her.

  
***

  
_“If this is gonna work, you gotta stop.”_

  
***

  
The guilt hit him hard.  
    It started with one bottle. Then another followed, and another until he woke up and realised it’d been a week.

 

A week of nothings. Of despair. Of anger. Of bargaining.

 Stuck in the same house as before. Staring at the same four walls, same clutter, same emptiness, as before.

  
***

  
_“I’m not the guy who sits around at home, waiting patiently while his wife’s off on some crazy danger trip and didn’t even have the decency to let him know!”_

  
***

  
So many dead ends.

 

So many.

If only…

 

  
***

  
_“I’ve been through one ruined marriage already.” His voice is deathly quiet._  
Her response is equally deathly.  
“So we’re already ruined, is that it?”

  
***

  
If only…

 

…he could take it all back.

  
***

 

_It’s not what he meant, but he doesn’t get a chance to explain. She slams the door behind her. He storms after her, but she’s already gone by the time he wrenches the front door open.  
It’s cold outside. The darkness covers everything._

  
***

  
A sharp ring and the knife was twisted in his chest.  
    That gruesome, horrendous, withering thing called  _hope_.

 

  
***

  
Six feet separated them – merely a fraction of the gorge hewn deeply between them.  
    The words stuck in his throat. His knuckles clenched. His body went cold.  
    She didn’t look at him. Her beautiful, bruised, battered face was turned away, her body curled into a foetal position beneath the hospital sheets.  
    She was crying. Silently, shoulders wracking, all alone in the world.

 

 The knife twisted further,  _deeper_ , transforming hope into self-loathing.

  
***

  
“Don’t give up,” Tootsie told him. “It won’t be pretty, it won’t go smoothly, and there might be times when you want nothing more than to yell and break things, but so will she.” She laid a hand on his shoulder. “She’ll need you, Steve. And if you need us…we’re here.”

 

They were.

 

***

  
And multiple walls torn down and rebuilt, bathroom tiles smashed to pieces, and three fully renovated rooms later, she finally slept in the same room as him again.  
    She was his wife again. A survivor.

 

Changed, but not diminished.

  
***

  
He drops a kiss on her neck, her body curled against his, snuggled tight, safe for now against a chaotic world. “I love you, Tess. So much.”  
    “I love you too.” She kisses his hands, his arms encircling her, and pulls him closer still. Needing the closeness.  
    As the sun rises behind the curtains, he can see her smile. After all that’s happened, that’s all he wants.

 

  
They can brave anything so long as those smiles remain.

  
**FIN**


	23. A Sparrow's Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The loss is sometimes too great for words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title adapted from a Norwegian funeral song: "Ikke en spurv faller til jorden uten at Gud det vet" (Not a sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing).

**Prompt:**  030. Death  
 **Rating:**  PG

* * *

There was no stopping the pain shooting through her chest as the casket was lowered into the ground. A small pristinely white thing carrying a piece of her heart to eternal resting: it was unfair. It should have been her. But the powers that be had not listened to her. It had all been for naught. A second was all it took – a sliver of their millions of seconds that would never be regained. Gone and lost forever.  
  
He returned from lowering the casket, his hand clenched as if still gripping the rope. She leaned into his side, seeking comfort that was slow coming. No more tears ran down her cheeks; she had run empty. His arms tucked around her shoulders and she could hear his heart beat quickly beneath his heavy jacket, the slight trembles alerting her to the cries he held back.  
  
Time passed so slowly. Even with the cold weather, the sun shone. She could not help but think it was treacherous, at the same time overcome by the rays falling on the colourful flowers and making the scene so beautiful. Such a stark opposite to the last time she had been forced to see someone she loved buried in the cold winter ground.  
  
A sob escaped her lips, but she had no more tears to offer, and her throat was sore. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. They had been so happy, so overjoyed by the turn of events. The possibility of losing it before it began had not even crossed their minds.  
  
His arm tightened around her and his cheek leaned on the top of her head. She drew her arms around him, hugging him tightly, finally drawing her eyes away from the flowers to drown in the dark fabric of his jacket. It hurt so much. The wound had been ripped open today instead of mending. She didn’t know how she would bear it.  
  
He dropped a kiss on her hair and she remembered her father, who used to do the same thing when she was upset, and she managed to squeeze out a few more wet trails into the heavy material. Her throat hurt, her chest hurt, and her belly felt empty. She had not been ready for this. It had taken her completely off guard. She gripped the material of his jacket in her hands, uttering a guttural sound in her half-sob.  
  
Not a care for watching eyes did she feel. All she wanted was to bury herself in their bed in their dark bedroom, only him and her, and lie there forever. She was sick of condolences, of concerned conversations and the ever-pitying looks. She was tired of being sick of it. It was a circle that never ended.  
  
A sudden hiccup from the chest against her face alerted her to his distress, and she hugged him closer, nearly choking him as silent sobs took hold of him. A moment of weakness, it made her aware there was something more to him than a secure rock in the stream. He was hurting too.  
  
For long moments, she simply gripped him tight, long past listening to their surroundings, finding her own sobs escaping silently with his until they both calmed down. Another kiss on her hair and she finally drew back, gazing up into his eyes and seeing the ghostly trails of tears down his cheeks. She wiped it off as he did with her, and she nearly came undone again with the pain mirrored in his eyes. It was as if he had aged ten years in the past two weeks. He was wearied, thin, drawn. But there was something else there as well: a small glimmer that nearly drowned in the darkness as he cast a look down beside her.  
  
She followed his gaze to the small blue eyes peering up at them, the quivering lip, and the small hands fisted in her skirt and his pants. Neither of them had noticed and didn’t know how long the boy had stood there.  
  
“Mama?”  
  
Her heart soared even as a stab of pain jolted through her. She looked up to the side and met their friends’ mournful faces standing several metres away, sympathy written all over them, and the elder woman who had been unofficial aunt looked apologetic. Tessa simply gave her a look and then leaned down to pick Jonas up in her tired arms.  
  
“Don’t be sad,” Jonas told her and ran his chubby hand clumsily over her cheeks, mimicking his father’s previous gesture. He then twisted in her arms and reached up to his father to do the same.  
  
A ghost of a smile crossed Steve’s features and he caught the boy’s hand to kiss it softly as Tessa shifted the boy in her arms. “We’ll try,” he promised, meeting her eyes after ruffling the boy’s hair. She cleared her throat, but was too emotional to speak. Her eyes burned.  
  
And as she silently passed her son to Steve, who reached the other arm around her and drew her close, she found she didn’t need to speak at all.

**FIN**


	24. Happy news

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa has some good news.

**Prompt:**  097. Happy news (writer's choice)  
 **Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

Detective Sergeant Steve Hayden looked up from his paperwork at the arrival of his partner, flushed and sporting an apologetic smile. He raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair and flipping the folder in his hands away. A cup of coffee and a muffin was set down on the side of his desk and he grinned.  
  
“Sorry I’m late,” said Detective Senior Constable Tessa Vance, setting down her coffee brand cup before shrugging out of her jacket, revealing a nice creamy shirt hugging her shape wonderfully. Steve quelled the thought but couldn’t keep the brief leer off his face as their eyes met and she saw right through him. She only grinned while rolling her eyes.  
  
“What’s the news?” she asked as she sat down, inching closer to the desk with a slight creak from the worn chair. The coffee cup was in her hands within seconds.  
  
Steve sipped his own coffee, relishing its better qualities, even if it was just straight black coffee and not some double latte with cream and chocolate syrup and a dash of walnut sprinkle on top. Keep it simple. Not everything that glitters is gold, his mother had told him.  
  
“Brandon’s up for some talking,” Steve informed her. “I’ve had him stewing in the interrogation room for the past ten minutes. I reckon letting him sit a few more and see if he’s a bit more mellow.”  
  
“Probably is, considering he’s got no place else to go out on the street,” Tessa remarked. “Not unless he’d like the local gang on his neck.” She pushed the folders and files on her desk around, making an even bigger mess, only to get room for her elbows as she leaned forward. Steve could see she was lined up for action – just a cue and she’d spring into the thick of all. “So is that it?”  
  
“What is?” asked Steve, a little confused, but not too fazed. He’d gotten used to her strange behaviour after all.  
  
Tessa nearly sighed. “Is that everything’s that happened in the hour or two I was gone?”  
  
Steve frowned a little, thinking it over. “Um, yeah. Thorne made a comment about your mess, but other than that nothing’s happened.”  
  
“Nothing at all?” asked Tessa in disbelief.  
  
“Zilch,” Steve nodded, reaching for his blueberry muffin and taking a big bite. Mm, she really chose her shops well! This was good!  
  
“I guess that’s what they call a quiet day at the office,” Tessa grinned, and then chuckled. “You’ve got blueberry on your cheek. No, a bit lower. Yep, that’s it.” Steve grinned cheekily, wiping off the embarrassing mark.  
  
A moment passed with Tessa dragging a hand through her hair. She suddenly looked very pensive and Steve felt a slight alarm run through him.  
  
“You okay?” he asked after gulping down a mouthful of coffee and muffin. Tessa startled slightly, raising her eyebrows before frowning.  
  
“Oh, um, yeah,” she said evasively. “I’ll tell you later,” she promised. Her eyes told the rest: not here, not now. Steve could accept that. Heck, they more than often talked about things that none other than them should hear about.  
  
“So what do you say, think he’s stewed enough?” asked Tessa, cocking her head slightly to the side. Steve chuckled.  
  
“He’s probably pissing his pants.”

* * *

“Here you go.”  
  
Tessa sat down on the couch next to him, handing him a bottle of beer before settling in with her iced lemon water. Steve had ribbed her about it before, but now he just gave her a wry smile every time she came over with it. There was no way she was changing her ways that easily. Not that he wanted that, though. He happened to like her exactly the way she was, strange as it was.  
  
They sat a few more moments in the silence of Tessa’s living room, Steve gradually beginning to sense a tension in the air even though his partner seemed to be very calm and relaxed. The warning bell returned.  
  
“So…” he drawled, looking over at her while fiddling with his bottle. “You gonna tell me what’s been bugging you or do I have to drag it out of you?”  
  
Tessa smiled briefly then sighed and looked down at her water glass as if it was the most wondrous invention she’d set her eyes on. Steve waited patiently.  
  
“I’ve put in for a transfer.”  
  
Tick, tack.  
  
“What?” Steve retorted in disbelief. “When? Why?” Tessa gave him a significant gaze at the last question and he acquiesced, knowing the answer to that one. “Okay, so I have an inkling. It doesn’t explain why you decided to do it now and not four months ago?”  
  
“Things are a bit different now,” Tessa replied and he could see the nervous twitching of her hands.  
  
“How are they any different? Sorry if I’m a bit out of the loop here, but to my knowledge nothing’s happened in the last four months to change your mind…unless there’s something you’re not telling me?”  
  
He felt a sinking feeling in his chest at her guilty features. She didn’t want to work with him any longer. No, not only that, she didn’t want to be around him at all any longer.  
  
Hurt flashed in his blood and he struggled to push it back.  
  
“I thought things were fine, great even,” Steve began softly, the immediate annoyance giving way to pain. “I thought...Well, I guess it doesn’t matter anymore what I thought.”  
  
“Steve, what are you talking about?” Tessa demanded, eyebrows in a deep frown. Steve looked up at her confused.  
  
“What? I’m talking about you – us – I thought...” He couldn’t explain what had run through his mind. A look of panic crossed her features and she quickly set her glass on the table, reaching out to take his hand.  
  
“Steve, I’m not leaving you,” said Tessa clearly. Steve frowned.  
  
“Then... why?”  
  
To his surprise, Tessa chuckled and even grinned. She reached up to stroke his cheek with a soft palm and Steve felt even more bummed.  
  
“Sweetheart, I can’t be your partner anymore since we’re coming clean about this.”  
  
“We are?” Steve asked, confused. “When did we discuss this?”  
  
“We didn’t, but we’ll have to, because in a couple of months I won’t be able to hide it anymore and I don’t want to be on the receiving end of Thorne’s reprimand when that time comes.”  
  
She gave him another significant look, but Steve only frowned deeper. “I’m not following.”  
  
Tessa sighed, rolling her eyes. “How men can be so daft...” she mumbled and scooted closer to him, taking his beer and putting it next to her glass on the table. Then she took both his hands in hers.  
  
Uh-oh.  
  
“Steve,” she said. “Try to work the facts here. It’s easy. You’ve got all the clues you need – you’re a master detective! Solve the puzzle.”  
  
“Well, sorry if I’m doing the typical male thing here and not following you at all, but what facts?”  
  
“Mood swings, tiredness, sick days, clothes not fitting – come on, Hayden, don’t tell me your mother never told you the consequences of the birds and the bees?”  
  
And then he got it and he could see on Tessa’s growing grin that she knew it as well.  
  
“Really?” he asked, suddenly feeling numb.  
  
“Yep. Doctor confirmed it today.”  
  
“That’s why you took a couple of hours off. You had a doctor’s appointment.” Tessa nodded, her grin faltering slightly. “You’re sure you’re not wrong?”  
  
Now her grin was gone and she was biting her lower lip, hands lax around his. He could sense the withdrawal. “Is it such a bad thing?”  
  
Steve’s answer was to cup her face and smooch her senseless.  
  
He withdrew with slightly less breath than before, grinning dumbly at her startled features. “Not at all,” he replied to her previous question. “It’s great! I’m just...Well, I’m...I can’t believe it!”  
  
Tessa broke into a shaky laugh and he reached up to brush off the tears that pooled in her eyes.  
  
“I’m sorry. I hope they’re not because of me,” Steve mumbled. Tessa only shook her head.  
  
“Not in the way you’re thinking.” She grinned and he couldn’t help drawing her into another kiss, this time a little sweeter and less desperate.

* * *

He didn’t know how much time had passed but Tessa was soon tucked safely under his chin as they lay on the length of the couch, sighing softly as he stroked the skin under her shirt.  
  
“I’m not sure I’ll believe this is real in the morning. How much did I drink anyway?” Steve asked teasingly.  
  
“Only half a beer, lightweight,” Tessa retorted in the same tone, chuckling as she hugged his chest tighter and snuggled into the crook of his neck. A shiver went down his spine when she put a soft kiss on the side of his neck. Just a little to the side and she’d drive him even crazier.  
  
“You’re happy, right?” asked Tessa suddenly, a bit unsure. Steve kissed the top of her head and laid his hand firmly upon her belly.  
  
“Extremely. It wasn’t planned, but we’ll handle it. I’ll miss working with you, though.”  
  
“Well, I haven’t thought of all the possibilities yet. I might just get a new partner and still stay at the Central.”  
  
“Or I should be the one transferring. You’ve worked towards the Central too long to let this go.”  
  
Tessa shook her head. “Priorities change. I’ve been thinking about this for a while, since I first started being suspicious.”  
  
“How long’s that been?”  
  
“A couple of weeks.”  
  
“And you only told me now?” Steve frowned slightly, but didn’t really disapprove.  
  
“I didn’t want to get false hopes...” She didn’t need to say about what. Steve knew her well enough for that. He hugged her closer.  
  
“About the baby or about me staying?” he asked softly. Tessa tensed and he rubbed her back. “I’m not going anywhere, you know. Especially not now – not that I’d been thinking about it,” he was quick to assure her. “We’re in this together and I think I love you even more. I didn’t think it was possible.”  
  
“You love me?” Tessa repeated and Steve cocked his head awkwardly so he could meet her eyes. It struck him none of them had actually said the words in the four months they’d been seeing each other. Like their relationship, his feelings had been under wraps.  
  
He smiled and stole a quick kiss. “I do. Very much.”  
  
Tessa smiled brightly, lighting up the room and her eyes danced. “I love you too.” Steve smirked, shifting so he could face her better, even if he was balancing precariously on the edge of the couch.  
  
“That’s good,” he teased and drew her in for another kiss.  
  
The atmosphere changed when she suddenly ran a hand down his bare back underneath his shirt. Withdrawing, he saw her eyes twinkling and her lips quirked in a challenge.  
  
She yelped when he pulled her on top of him and sat up, crushing her lips with a searing mouthful before pulling her to her feet. There was no question about their destination and Tessa was only too happy to help him shed a few items before entering the dark room for some “recreational activities to strengthen and challenge them”.  
  
 **FIN**


	25. Home

**Prompts:**  028. Children  
 **Rating:**  G  
  


* * *

Tessa lay quietly in bed, listening to the gentle wind caressing the trees outside as summer was replaced by autumn. Her thoughts drifted here and there, sometimes settling on the bad things in life but most often lingering on the good and happy memories. A contented smile grazed her lips.  
  
She didn’t hear the door had opened until the bed creaked behind her back and dipped with someone’s weight. Warm breath exhaled on her neck, making shivers run up and down her spine. Her smile widened.  
  
“What, I’m not gone two days and you’re already letting someone else into your bed?” The low, male voice whispered huskily to her, soft lips brushing against the sensitive skin beneath her ear. She tilted her head slightly, looking over her shoulder at the loving expression on his face.  
  
“I guess I just missed you too much and had to find a replacement,” she whispered in return, a teasing smile on her lips. It was rewarded by a knowing grin and a kiss.  
  
“Hi,” Steve said as he drew back, gazing into her eyes like she would disappear any moment and he had to soak her all up. He’d done that for forever, ever since their first night together, and she had yet to diminish before his eyes.  
  
“Hi.” Tessa shifted slowly in her side-lying position so she could see him better, careful not to stir the warm body snuggled against her chest. Once settled, he kissed her again, drawing it out utterly until her toes were curling beneath the heavy covers.  
  
He drew back, eyes twinkling at the heated colour in her cheeks, and then alternating his gaze to the third person in the bed. Joy spread across his features, dispelling the hardness that still haunted his days at Homicide. “So how’s the little tyke?”  
  
A roughened hand was brought over her body to ruffle the boy’s hair softly, almost feather-like so, in fear of waking him up. She frowned slightly, a sense of worry streaming through her veins.“He had a nightmare about a dinosaur eating him up.”  
  
His hand went to rest upon the side of her stomach. He gave her a quick look. “Again?”  
  
She nodded, gazing down on the dark mop of hair in the crook of her arm. “No more dinosaur comics on him, that’s for sure.”  
  
“I’ll let Dee know.” They both smiled at the mention of their younger friend. She was quite taken with Daniel, always ready to give him the time of his life.  
  
“So how’d the conference go?” she asked after several moments of comfortable silence had passed. Steve was up and in the process of undressing. Strong muscles flexed in his back as he wrenched the T-shirt off. She enjoyed that back very much.  
  
“Nothing new and interesting, if that’s what you mean. Just the usual middle-aged, chubby, beer-drinking men like me.”  
  
“You’re not chubby,” she argued teasingly, eying the hard muscles on his torso as Steve turned round. “You’re pretty lean for a man of your age.”  
  
“Humour me,” his eyes twinkled. “There were new and younger additions of both genders also, so you can quell any retort about chauvinistic bastards.”  
  
“It never even entered my mind.” Tessa grinned. Steve got back into bed, snuggling against her back.  
  
“So how’re you doing?” He nuzzled her neck. “Everything’s alright?”  
  
“Yeah; the doctor had just nice things to say today. As long as I keep to my diet, exercise and relax a lot, everything will be fine. I’ve even signed up for yoga classes.”  
  
Steve chuckled. “You’ll never last a week.”  
  
“You’re probably right,” Tessa admitted, amused as well, “But I’ve got to try at least.” Steve nodded gravely, but the serious impression was ruined by the wide grin on his lips. His arms were drawn around her, and with it came a great sense of security that Tessa relished.  
  
“And how’s the baby?” Steve asked quietly, his hands sneaking down towards the large swell of her stomach, resting there comfortingly.  
  
“All’s progressing as it should. No irregularities.”  
  
“Good, I’d hate for something to go wrong again.” He kissed her hair, seemingly not getting enough of her. But it was alright, because she could not get enough of him either.  
  
“Me too, but let’s not dwell too much on it. Besides, it turned out okay in the end. We’ve got a handsome, healthy five-year-old and another on the way.” Tessa paused, wincing slightly. “We’re never getting any sleep again.”  
  
“As if we ever did,” Steve muttered teasingly.  
  
Tessa rolled her eyes. “You must be tired after the long ride.”  
  
“Mm…Sleep’s the second thing on my to-do-list right now.”  
  
“What’s the first?”  
  
Steve drew her closer and kissed her neck. “First I’m going to cuddle you, kiss you and think about how lucky I am to have such a great kid, another on the way, and a wonderful and extremely hot wife.”

Tessa chuckled, relishing in his warmth and in the quiet snores from Daniel. She sighed happily. “Sounds like a good plan.”

* * *

 

  
  
**BONUS SCENE**

The bed was wet when she woke, her back feeling as if it was on fire. Instantly awake, Tessa swung her arm sideways and ended up punching Steve in the chest. He groaned and she grabbed his arm, shaking him hard. "Steve!"  
  
"What?" With a frustrated growl, he turned on his side and glared at her in the darkness.   
  
"My water's broken." Tessa was already trying to sit up, her pregnant belly too big for the action to go smoothly. "Call Tootsie. Someone's got to stay with Daniel."   
  
"Uh, right." All trace of annoyance was gone, replaced instead by a hint of panic, even though this wasn't their first rodeo.   
  
"Ugh!" Tessa bent over, the sharp pain echoing hollowly throughout her back. Puffing through the pain, she squeezed her eyes shut, seeing stars for a little while. When she opened them, Steve was crouched in front of her, eyes wide in worry. "I'm okay. But I think you need to hurry."   
  
"Right."   
  
He squeezed her shoulder, then helped her get to her feet before finding his mobile phone. Grimacing, Tessa ambled to the bathroom where she changed her underwear and pulled on a knee-length tunic rather than struggling through a pair of sweatpants. Another contraction hit as she was about to head out the door, this one stronger and longer than before.   
  
"Tootsie's on her way," Steve said, fully dressed now, as he appeared at her side. "How close?"   
  
"Very close. I think you'll have to call an ambulance too. We might not make it in the car." Tessa gave a pained smile. "Call in a hunch."   
  


* * *

  
  
She turned out to be right. Melissa Vance-Hayden was born just an hour later, moments after arrival to the maternity ward.   
  
"Look at that," Steve said in wonder, his face plastered with a constant grin as he rocked the small bundle in his arms. His eyes were shining brightly when they met hers. "She's beautiful, Tess."   
  
Tessa smiled tiredly and reached out a hand towards him, making him come closer so she could see for herself once more. A tiny face puckered up in the blankets, a pink hat on, and tiny fingers tried to escape the confines of the blanket.   
  
Tessa didn't know she could feel so much. She felt as if she'd been packed to the brim with emotion, and her eyes welled up with exhausted and happy tears. "We made that."   
  
"That we did." Steve pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead, still holding his treasure close to his chest. "You did great, Tess."  
  
"You know what this means, right?" Tessa cocked a teasing eyebrow at him, her fingertips playing with the baby's small ones. "She being in a hurry and all?"  
  
"What?"   
  
"Definitely my kid," Tessa teased and she could see the realisation dawn on Steve's face. He chuckled good-naturedly.   
  
"You gonna give me a hard time too, kiddo?" Steve asked the baby, raising his eyebrows expectantly. Melissa only murmured and yawned. "Heh, at least she's got a bit of me in her too. Maybe it'll be enough to slow her down."   
  
Tessa chuckled too and let her hand glide to squeeze Steve's arm gently, their eyes meeting. "I love you, you know."   
  
Steve grinned. "I love you too, Tess."

**FIN**


	26. Right on time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve’s first reaction was that this was not a good time.

**Prompt:** 072\. Fixed  
 **Rating:** G

* * *

The phones wouldn’t stop calling, the fax machine wouldn’t stop printing, and the people wouldn’t stop moving. It was crazy. Going on the third day with little sleep and overwork, Steve felt ready to either punch someone or punch the wall. Preferably, he’d like to punch the SOB who’d kidnapped and killed two young teenagers already, but even with two weeks behind them, they’d gotten nowhere.  
  
All they could hope for was for the SOB to mess something up, but the only way that seemed likely was if he tried to catch another victim and that very thought made him want to punch someone even harder.  
  
Unable to sit still, Steve got up from his desk and paced in front of the whiteboard like he’d done so many times before. For each turn, his fists clenched tighter until his knuckles whitened, and his jaw ached harder with the pressure he gave it by gritting his teeth together.  
  
Two school pictures hung on the board next to an overview shot of the crime scene. Steve hated that connection. The innocence with the gruesome. The absolute, encompassing association of  _wrong_  set off every warning bell in his head. Damn it, the kids weren’t even fourteen yet.  
  
With a sudden swing, Steve hit the whiteboard hard with his fist, and the impact cracked his knuckles. The pain grounded him, though, and actually felt good…until he saw those school pictures again and turned away so quickly that his neck felt likely to crack.  
  
“Looks like we’re right on time,” Tessa said from the glass door as she closed it behind her. She gave him a tight smile, the kind that told him she  _knew_  exactly what was going on in that head of his, and that she wished she could make it better.  
  
Steve’s first reaction was that this was _not_  a good time. “Tess, what’re you doing here?”  
  
“We were in the neighbourhood.” Pushing the stroller towards him, Tessa wasn’t fazed by the glare he directed at her, and instead had the gall to converse as if this was just any other normal day. “Decided to drop by, say hi.”  
  
Steve reached up to pinch the ridge of his nose, counting to ten, and then looked around at the chaos still going on around Central Homicide. Some of them had stopped what they were doing and were giving them curious looks. Some even smiled and nudged their partner, pointing to the stroller.  
  
Steve sighed. “This isn’t a good time, Tess. We’re in the middle of a case.”  
  
“I know.” Tessa’s eyes strayed to the whiteboard with a cursory look before reaching down into the stroller to unfasten the straps. With familiar ease, she lifted the two-month old sleeping baby to her chest and shushed him quietly when he began to squirm. Giving Steve a grin, she turned slightly so Liam’s face was visible to him. “Bet you can’t say no to that face, though.”  
  
Exhaling deeply, Steve knew with a wrench of his gut that she was right. There was just something about Liam that turned off all his defences; just like Tessa could do on occasion.  
  
“Here,” Tessa said and stepped close to hand off Liam to him. “He’s missed you.”  
  
Eyes drawn to the small pudgy face and the tiny hands stretching and waving at all the disturbance around him, Steve accepted Liam and held him close to his chest.  
  
Involuntarily, he smiled and he felt suddenly bone-wearily tired, as if that small, familiar weight in his arms was able to bring him back to his senses. Rocking Liam slightly to calm him down, Steve looked up at Tessa with another sigh. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t be.” Stepping close, Tessa touched his arm lovingly. “I know. Just…just hold him for a bit, okay? I need to visit the ladies’.”  
  
Steve did just that and as soon as Tessa left, he became the centre of attention of practically everyone in the office, women and men alike. For some reason, the cooing, the questions and the praises made his shoulder begin to relax, and he held Liam even closer as the crowd continued to press in on them.  
  
“What’s going on?” Thorne’s booming voice sounded a moment after his door had opened. “Why aren’t you working?”  
  
A few guilty looks passed around and some of the other detectives returned to their previous tasks, but Steve didn’t let go of Liam. Instead, he held him up slightly so that Thorne could see the source of the distraction. If he hadn’t already witnessed it before, Steve wouldn’t have believed how the instant recognition softened the Inspector’s features somewhat.  
  
“Oh,” Thorne said, a bit impotently, then shifted on his feet as if unsure what to do. The conflict was clear in his face, but soon the curiosity got the better of him too, and he came close to inspect Liam’s progress since the last time he’d seen him. “He’s grown.”  
  
“Yeah.” In that single statement, Steve realised how Liam actually felt a little heavier than before. Just in the few days he’d been practically absent from home, his son had changed. “Can’t quite believe how time flies.”  
  
“Just as it should be,” Thorne said, staring down at the baby in Steve’s arms. It looked like he wanted to touch him, but refrained.  
  
The phone ringing on Steve’s desk gave him the right incentive. “Could you hold him for a bit? Need to answer that.”  
  
With just a small flustering protest, Thorne accepted Liam into his arms and Steve headed off for his desk. When he noticed the change in the Inspector’s face and the familiar ease in how he rocked Liam back and forth, Steve grinned…and realised then how correct Tessa’s statement before had been.  
  
He told her as much when she returned and Thorne had handed Liam back to her. “Thank you.”  
  
Tessa smiled as she laid Liam back into the stroller. “Want us to bring you dinner later?”  
  
Steve took a look around the bustling activity in the office and nodded, knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave anytime early tonight either. “That’d be great.”  
  
“All right. I’ll get some Chinese.” As she stood up, Tessa paused and reached her hand out to him. He took it and let her squeeze it tightly; their version of a kiss in the office. Those other kisses were reserved for other times and places. “We’ll see you later.”  
  
“Yeah.” Casting a look at the sleeping Liam, Steve smiled. “See you later.”  
  
 **FIN**


	27. No footprint too small

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "There is no footprint too small to leave an imprint on this world." (Author unknown) Child cases were always the worst and more so now than before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Needed to get some stuff out after hearing about a police case that's really depressing and terrifying to even consider. That case and the one indicated in this oneshot are not related. The only similarity is that a child/children was involved.

**Prompt:** 055\. Spirit  
 **Rating:**  PG-13 (T)  
  
 **Warning:**  Implied child death.

* * *

 

Child cases were always the worst and more so now than before. Tessa could see how it tore his defences down, how Steve responded by shrouding himself in moroseness and taciturnity, and how their lack of progress created a dark never-ending circle of frustration and self-loathing that could spin out of control with just the slightest push.  
  
When she’d been younger, she’d been able to compartmentalise better; had managed to gain distance he couldn’t and balanced his emotional involvement with her role-reversal distant, reasoned clarity. These days, however, age, experience and something much more deep-rooted had changed her and she could honestly say she wasn’t the same as before.  
  
“I thought I could do this, Toots, but...” Standing with her back against the transparent plastic covering the entry to the autopsy lab, Tessa wrapped her arms tightly around her chest. There was a deep uneasiness in her bones and she shifted restlessly on her feet, almost close to tears. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Don’t  _ever_ be sorry,” Tootsie said immediately and laid a hand firmly on her shoulder. “This job of ours is hard enough. If you wish, you can go wait in my office or go back to Homicide. I’ll bring you the case file once my examination is complete. And Tessa?” Tessa looked at her, ashamed of her own tears. “There’s  _no_  shame in knowing your limits. We all have them.”  
  
Tessa knew that, but it wasn’t always easy to believe it. As a police officer and a Homicide detective, she was supposed to be able to deal with cases like this, no matter how gory, terrifying or devastating. She’d always strived for it, a characteristic that’d bothered Steve a great number of times, even to the brink of nearly driving a permanent wedge between them.  
  
After becoming a mother, however, she’d started seeing the world with entirely new eyes. The potential dangers transcribed into real dangers lurking everywhere, with her gaze constantly scrutinising their surroundings. Steve called it the ‘lioness’ instinct. All Tessa knew was that it could either be a strength or a curse, and right now it was a curse, filling her head with poisonous ‘what ifs’.  
  
“I’ll head back to Homicide, then,” Tessa told Tootsie, wiping the corners of her eyes.  
  
“All right.” Tootsie gave a small smile, more for comfort than anything else, and squeezed Tessa’s shoulder tightly before letting go. “I will give you a call when I’m on my way, okay?”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
Although she was grateful to her friend, Tessa couldn’t shake off her uneasiness as she watched Tootsie disappear through the plastic flaps into the autopsy lab where Fisk and Tootsie’s assistants were already at full work. She caught a glance of a small, white face in between their bodies, and quickly turned away, having seen enough at the crime scene itself.  
  
With shaky hands, Tessa pulled out her cell phone and dialled Steve on automatic. “Hey, it’s me. Tootsie’s started her examination. She’ll come update us when she’s finished.” She paused, listening to Steve’s curt but hesitant questions at the other end. “No, I don’t know anything more right now. I—.” She inhaled sharply, keeping the fresh tears at bay. “I couldn’t do it, so I’m on my way back. I’ll see you soon, okay?”  
  
She hung up as soon as she heard the touch of sympathy in his voice. It only made it worse right now, and she wouldn’t be able to get through this day if she let herself go. She needed to hold on, at least for a couple of more hours until she could head home and put this behind her for a while.  
  
 _This isn’t the time or the place, Tessa_ , she told herself, breathing deeply to calm her racing heart as she began to find her way out of the morgue. _Close it down._  
  


* * *

  
  
By the time he got home, Steve had worn himself to a shadow. The walk from his car and up the steps to the front door felt like an eternity, and as soon as he entered the house, he was assaulted by high-pitched screaming and crying amidst a really loud TV set.  
  
“Great…” Steve mumbled in frustration, spending as much time as he could while undiscovered to remove his shoes and winter coat. All he’d wanted was some peace and quiet, something good to expel the darkness of today, to decompress, but he recognised those sounds and he knew he wasn’t ready to face that yet.  
  
So, with no preamble, he strode back out into the cold and sat down on the front steps, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Fortunately, the driveway was sheltered by bushes and a low brick wall, so no one would be able to spot him unless they stood right in front of him.  
  
He knew Tessa would’ve heard him enter and consequently exit, and he knew she’d stay clear until he was ready to come back in, no matter how frustrated she might be herself. That was their agreement. It hadn’t been necessary when it’d just been the two of them, or when Christine had been just a baby and they could’ve just walked straight in and dealt with things there, but that wasn’t the case anymore. As two police officers, they knew how important it was to acclimatise before facing their family, especially children.  
  
Most days, the drive home would be enough for him, but today wasn’t like other days. Their victim was only a year older than Christine and that fact had bothered him – had bothered both of them – all day. So he needed to decompress, to get his worst emotions out, before he inflicted it unintentionally on his own children.  
  
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Steve willed his pulse down and his thoughts back into their tidy compartments, and instead focused on the cold that was seeping into his bones and the relatively silence of their neighbourhood. It helped to clear his mind, to hit the pause button on some of his thoughts, even if it took a while.  
  
Eventually, he pulled out his smartphone and did what he always did when he needed some extra reminders for why he stuck with this job: he opened the Photo app and flipped through the images stored there. Some were screenshots, but most were daily or at least weekly snapshots and videos of his family.  
  
Christine on her little pink bicycle with training wheels.  
  
Thomas crawling on his belly across the floor.  
  
Tessa making funny faces that sent both Christine and Thomas into hysterical giggles.  
  
Christine dropping a kiss on Thomas’ bald head. Thomas’s face scrunched up in startled surprise and looking as if the action was enough to make him cry.  
  
Christine happily singing along to some Disney tune on the telly, with accompanying dance moves, and her insistent calls for him to join in.  
  
Thomas trying Steve’s homemade baby food for the first time and promptly catapulting it out of his mouth and all over the kitchen table, with Tessa’s roar of laughter echoing in the background.  
  
All of those little, precious moments made him smile. It never failed. And once he felt the cold begin to bother him and that he was once more aware of his surroundings in a different manner than before, Steve got up and went back into the house.  
  
It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes, but he knew their importance and recognised it in how he didn’t get frustrated again at Christine’s crying-turned-shouting. As soon as Tessa noticed him, she gave him a knowing – though slightly exasperated – look that he returned, and let him go to deal with the temper tantrum that was their daughter at the moment while she continued to rock a close-to-tears Thomas on her hip.  
  
“She hit her brother when he took one of her toys,” Tessa supplied succinctly as Steve leaned close for a quick kiss. “So I told her she wouldn’t get to watch any telly tonight if she didn’t behave and apologise.”  
  
“All right,” Steve said quietly, then gave Thomas a big smile and a long kiss on his forehead, earning him a hesitant smile in return. “Hey buddy. You going off to bed now?”  
  
“Yep.” Tessa sighed, looking every bit as exhausted as he still felt. “I was just waiting for you to get here.”  
  
“I’ll talk to her. You go on.” Hating the worn lines on Tessa’s face, Steve leaned closer for another, this time longer, kiss. It wouldn’t dispel anything right now, but he just wanted to show he cared and it worked. Tessa gave him a small smile. “Want some coffee after?”  
  
“Sounds good.” Hefting Thomas a little further up on her hip, Tessa turned and disappeared down the hall to the bedrooms.  
  
Steve turned to the living room where Christine was now throwing the couch pillows all over the floor. Although he wanted nothing more than to sweep her up and hug her tight, he knew it wasn’t any point right now. So, metaphorically rolling up his sleeves, he approached her.

* * *

  
  
Even before she’d finished readying Thomas for the night, Tessa could hear Christine had quietened down. At some level, it annoyed her that Steve could be away all day and swoop in to calm down his daughter when she’d tried for half an hour already, but at the same time, she was just happy to hear the silence.  
  
“All right, buddy, time to get some sleep.” Tessa gave Thomas a smile, tickling his bare feet, and enjoyed the giggle he let out at the touch. “And no waking Mommy at three in the morning, okay?”  
  
Thomas just began to blabber happily, his pacifier half bursting out of his mouth. Tessa laughed and picked him up.  
  
They exited the bathroom quietly and wandered down the hallway to Thomas’ bedroom after momentarily wondering if they’d go say goodnight. Tessa decided against it, just in case seeing her brother would upset Christine again; she could hear her daughter’s low whines that told her she wasn’t entirely happy with her Daddy either right now.  
  
Fortunately, Thomas nodded off quickly about half-way through Tessa’s lullaby. She didn’t leave immediately, though, instead just taking this precious moment to enjoy the calm silence and let her subdued frustration bleed away with Thomas’ heavy breathing.  
  
Today had been an awful day, and she knew it’d be one to stick with her for some time. Even with Tootsie’s clinical autopsy report, Tessa hadn’t been able to keep her imagination from filling in the blanks, and those images were still there, along with the information any parent didn’t want to hear. It all rushed back to her now as she covered her face with her hand and let the tears fall as quietly as she could.  
  
She didn’t know how long she was there, letting it all out, only that Steve eventually knocked carefully on the door.  
  
“Christine’s in her room.” Voice quiet, Steve stepped inside and closed the door behind him, a cup of coffee in his hand. “You all right?”  
  
“I’ll get there,” Tessa said honestly since there wasn’t any point denying it. “How about you?”  
  
Sighing deeply, Steve shrugged and held out the cup to her. “I’ll get there.”  
  
Not having anything else to say right now, Tessa accepted the coffee gratefully, as well as the hand Steve offered to pull her up from her chair and into a one-armed hug. Sniffling, she let herself breathe in the scent of him and enjoy his comfort like she hadn’t been able to do at the office.  
  
Back there, they were Homicide detectives, professionals. At home, they were husband and wife, parents to two children. Those roles were very different and sometimes, like today, felt incompatible. It was the life they’d chosen, though, the day they’d signed on to become police officers.  
  
“How’s Christine?” Tessa drew back and leaned up to give him a kiss.  
  
“Sullen, but calm.” Steve smiled tiredly and snuck a sip from her coffee. “I made her clean up the mess she made and she’s ready to apologise.”  
  
“Good.” Again, a part of her was annoyed that Steve seemingly handled that situation so much better than her, but Tessa quelled it and instead merely gave him an eye roll and a teasing, “Miracle worker.”  
  
Steve chuckled as they left Thomas’ bedroom. “I wish.”  
  


* * *

  
  
Both of them being in bed by ten was the best testament to their mutual exhaustion. Although parenthood had forced Tessa to become more conscious of her sleeping habits, she usually wasn’t able to sleep until at least after eleven, no matter how sleepy she might be.  
  
Today, as they both knew, was different. They usually didn’t cuddle this much before sleep either, but they needed the closeness, the reassurance that they had each other, that they were all right, and that they’d be able to cope with the next day too.  
  
“I can’t stop thinking ‘what if’…” Tessa finally muttered, her throat sounding thick with unshed tears, and Steve tightened the hold he had on her, his own throat clenching painfully.  
  
“I know. I’ve had the thought too.” Pulling her even closer, Steve kissed Tessa’s temple, inhaling her scent in an effort to calm his racing heart. “But Christine’s safe. Thomas is safe. We’re  _all_  safe.” Another kiss. “They’re safe and they know they’re loved.”  
  
Tessa sniffled, her body trembling with her quiet tears. It was clear she didn’t find the words to the rest of her thoughts, just like Steve found himself speechless now, but they were used to that by now. Not every thought could be voiced, not every action carried out. All that mattered was that they were there, together, sharing the curse of knowledge and experience rather than being divided by it.  
  
“We’ll find who did it,” Steve muttered firmly, not allowing himself to believe anything else. “We’ll hold them accountable.”  
  
“I know.” Tessa’s trembles calmed down and her voice cleared up a little. In the darkness, he could see her tilt her head up to face him and her voice was firmer, more resolute, than before. “I know.”  
  
Steve allowed himself a little smile. That was the kind of resolution that’d made him fall in love with her. That and her crazy hunches, her ability to keep him on his toes, and her passionate approach to everything in life, whether it was a case, rock climbing, their children, or him.  
  
“Love you, Tess.” Too tired for anything else, Steve just gave her a soft kiss before pulling back.  
  
“Love you too,” Tessa said, a smile clear in her tone, and she shifted back until she was cuddled against him once more, though not as tight as before. “Let’s get some sleep. Thomas is probably gonna wake up in five hours.”  
  
“I’ll get him if he does.”  
  
Tessa snorted and poked his ticklish area. “As if. You slept through it the last time it was your turn.”  
  
Steve chuckled and hugged her close. “Then I give you permission to kick me out of bed if I don’t get up. Just this once.”  
  
“I’m gonna hold you to that,” Tessa teased, and Steve knew she would.  
  
 **FIN**  
  



	28. Calling Daddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite the hour, some girls just want their daddies. Too bad daddies don’t always understand the problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small one-shot I did after I’d written “Crazy” (available on ff.net). For some reason, those kids are just stuck in my head and I could picture so many scenes involving the little Vance-Hayden family I made up. This story, however, is not set in that particular universe, as Tessa and Steve still work together, and they only have one child.

 

  
**Prompt:**  027. Parents  
**Rating:**  G (K)

* * *

  
The shrill ring of a phone setting off jerked him out of his sleep with a start. For a second he wondered why the hell he had woken up, before hearing the ringing. He half groaned, half sighed, as he leaned over and flipped on the bedside light before picking up his cell phone. The caller ID already warned him who it was.

“You’ve got this after your mother,” Steve Hayden grumbled into the phone, running a hand across his face to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

_“I’m sorry, Dad, I forgot about the time difference. I just. . .”_  The tender voice at the other end drifted off. Along with insomnia, insecurity ran closely in the family and Steve grimaced. He was becoming a grumpy old bugger.

“No, I’m sorry, Chrissie,” Steve said, his voice softer. He sat up against the headboard as the bed shifted beside him. He lowered his voice when he spoke. “What’s wrong?”

_“There’s nothing wrong,”_ replied Christine Hayden evasively and Steve almost snorted. She seemed to hear it anyway and sighed.  _“Okay, okay. I ran into some trouble at school and. . .”_

“And?” prompted Steve, fighting off the migraine he felt coming – result of the barely two hours of sleep he’d gotten so far, as well as impatience over his daughter’s reluctance to simply admit what she had done this time.

_“I’m suspended for two weeks,”_  finished Christine finally, dropping the bomb he had been waiting for since the first time she called him at night saying she had gotten into some trouble.

“Chrissie. . .” he sighed.

_“I know, I know, all right? It’s just—that guy! He’s such a stupid, ridiculous arse! Always hanging on me and fussing things up.”_

“What’s going on?” the woman beside him mumbled, also dragging a hand across her eyes, squinting in the light from the bedside lamp. It had been a late night for both of them.

“Your daughter’s been suspended,” muttered Steve off the phone, holding a hand over the receiver.

_“Shit! Is Mum awake?”_  asked Christine frantically. Her hearing was exceptional, there was no doubt about that.

Steve turned back to the phone. “Yeah, she is. Now, Chrissie, didn’t we talk about this? You remember promising me you weren’t going to get into more trouble?” Christine groaned into the phone. “You just can’t go around solving problems that way.”

_“Mum did,”_  Christine defended.

“Well, your Mum’s a wacko case. You can’t follow her example.” Despite the seriousness he tried to put forth, Steve couldn’t help the grin on his face, knowing that no matter what he said, both his girls would stay the way they were. He hoped, however, to lessen the damage somewhat. “Now what’s up with this guy?”

“Steve,” said Tessa Vance-Hayden warningly, turning on the bedside light on her side and propping herself up on one elbow. Not surprisingly, she was already wide-awake.

_“Everything’s up with him!”_  exclaimed Christine on the other end.  _“He just can’t stop bothering me!”_

“Well, did you tell him to stop?” he asked.

Christine snorted, and from the corner of his eye Steve could see Tessa rolling her eyes with a smirk.

_“Yeah, Dad, I did. Right before I asked him nicely to join a Tupperware party and read Cosmo.”_

Although Steve might be less travelled in the circles of female minds, he did recognise when he was being patronised. Tessa reached over him and took the phone away despite his protests.

“Hi, sweetie, it’s Mum,” greeted Tessa. Steve let out a small huff of annoyance before settling next to his wife with a frown. “Listen to your Dad, okay? No more trouble-hunting.” She gave him a look, saw his expression, and grinned. “Why don’t you and I talk a bit more about this tomorrow? The old grump and I have an early meeting, and you need some rest as well. Love you too, sweetie. Bye.” She hung up and offered him the cell phone with a smirk that made him even more annoyed.

Accepting the phone stonily, Steve put it within easy reach on his nightstand and made to turn off the light when Tessa’s arms snaked around his bare chest.

“Your womanly charms won’t work,” he told her gruffly.

“You’re such a sweetheart,” Tessa teased gently, snuggling closer to his back and never relinquishing her grip. “You absolutely hate the idea she’s moved out, don’t you?”

Steve didn’t reply, instead turning off the light, and was forced to hear Tessa’s wonderful chuckle in his ear. In the darkness it made the sensation of her breath against his nape send a small shiver down his spine.

“Christine’s just growing up, Steve. She’s learning right from wrong in her own way. You’re not making it any easier on her.”

“Maybe,” Steve said inconclusively, finally sighing. “She could’ve chosen some place closer.”

“Says he who moved, what, 200 miles away from home to attend school? You know, Europe happens to be a very friendly place,” said Tessa lightly, making sure he heard the teasing in her voice. “I found it very exciting.”

“Exactly. That’s what I’m afraid of. She’s just like you.”

Tessa sighed heavily, reaching up to stroke his chin lovingly. “Steve. . . Why do you think she called your cell phone?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “She looks up to you. She wants you to guide her. But that means you can’t push her or intimidate her. Your opinion has always been worth the most to her, even if you can’t always understand what she wants.”

It took several long moments before Steve managed to answer, exhaling noisily first. “I just don’t like her being so far away.”

“I know,” Tessa soothed, nuzzling his neck and resting her head on his shoulder. “But she has to learn to take care of herself, you know, like any nineteen-year-old. You can’t protect her forever. Not even from annoying guys who’s crushing on her.”

“What’d you mean?” asked Steve suddenly, frowning. Tessa chuckled.

“It’s obvious there’s some sort of attraction going on between them. I know Chrissie doesn’t sound like it, but I do believe she enjoys his ‘annoying’ prescence more than she lets on.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m her mother,” Tessa replied obviously, kissing the nape of his neck. “I know these things. And I was just like her when I first met you.”

Steve couldn’t help his features softening slightly. Romance wasn’t his forte, but sometimes his wife could drive him to mush. “You’re still like that, you know. Crazy, obsessed, getting into trouble.”

“Mm,” hummed Tessa, stroking his skin slowly.

“But I guess you’ve matured a bit since then,” said Steve mock-hesitantly, earning him a gentle swat.

“I’d hope so!” Tessa’s eyes twinkled in the dim darkness. “More than twenty years with you and a kid; I’d say I’ve gotten a bit more responsible.”

“In here, perhaps, but not out there,” Steve reminded her with a grin. She was still running across busy streets and entering suspect houses without waiting for backup.

He finally rolled over on his back, drawing his arms around her and pulling her close. He pressed a kiss to her shampoo-scented hair. “I’m glad, though.”

“That I’m still crazy and obsessed?” retorted Tessa in a mumble as she draped a leg across his under the sheets.

Minx, thought Steve with an inward grin as he said, “Yes. That means I still have the highest solve rate by association.”

Tessa laughed, snaking her arms around him langoriously, eyes twinkling. “That’s not the only thing you have by association.”

“That’s right,” Steve murmured, dipping low to kiss her lips. “So. . . You awake yet?”

“More than awake for what you have in mind,” Tessa grinned.

“Reading my mind are you?”

“Always.”

 

**FIN**


	29. Want to dance?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the wedding of a fellow friend, Tessa gets an idea. Steve isn't happy about it...at first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music: "Tee Shirt" by Birdy

It was nice being pleasantly buzzed. Everything seemed so uncomplicated. There was nice music, nice people, good food, good dancers… 

Tessa felt a rush of warmth bloom on her cheeks as a thought entered her mind. Well, not so much a thought as an idea, and ordinarily one she'd probably shy away from. But now she was buzzed, happy, carefree, and the atmosphere was light and cheerful. Just like a wedding was supposed to be. 

However, it wasn't an idea she could follow through alone. She needed a partner and there was really only one that came to mind, even amongst all of the bride and groom's bachelor friends who'd chatted her up all day. 

So, armed with sudden confidence, Tessa shifted in her seat and faced Steve, who sat nursing a bottle of beer next to her. "Want to dance?"

"Dance?" Steve arched an eyebrow, glanced toward the dance floor that was crowded with couples locked in one of the slower forms of dancing. "Oh, I _don't_ dance." 

Tessa rolled her eyes and let out a lighthearted snort. "It's a _wedding_ , Steve. People dance. And we're sticking out like two sore thumbs just sitting here." 

Steve winced slightly. "You go, I'll watch your purse or something." 

"Nooo." Practically jumping to her feet, Tessa hooked her arm in his and tried to pull him up. "Come _on,_ Steve. Don't be a sourpuss." 

Although he tried to resist, eventually Steve sighed and yielded. " _One_ dance. Then you can let some of these other blokes take you for a turn. God knows they've tried all day." 

Giddy with excitement, Tessa quickly nodded and said, "Yes, yes, all right. Just come on."

Whether amused with her impatience or something else, Steve laughed a little as she more or less dragged him over to the dance floor and turned to him expectantly. "At least let me lead, all right?" 

"I'll do my best," Tessa winked and placed one hand on his shoulder, the other gripped gently in his. 

A flush rushed through her skin when Steve's free hand came to rest on her lower back, his touch firm yet gentle, guiding her through the steps of a semi-swing type of dance. She also felt her breath catch a little when he pulled her a little closer in the turns or when he dipped her lightly, their hips occasionally brushing against each other. 

"You _can_ dance," Tessa said teasingly as Steve led her through a spin before they were back in their starting position. "You just didn't want to." 

"Is that a crime?" Despite the sardonic touch in his voice, Steve smiled and his eyes seemed to have regained some of the energy it'd lacked earlier. 

Tessa chuckled. "No. Well, maybe a social etiquette one." 

At that, Steve chuckled too and pressed her even closer in his next turn, which came so suddenly and so firmly that Tessa almost lost her footing for a moment. "Sorry. Want me to warn you next time?" 

With a mock glare, Tessa edged further into Steve's personal space, the hand she'd rested on his shoulder inching up towards his neck. "Depends. Was it a blatant attempt to make me think twice about asking you for a dance?" Steve shrugged lightly, though with a smirk, to which Tessa lost her glare and laughed. "Then no. No warning necessary." 

"Sure?" Steve's smirk broadened into a grin and he pulled her even closer, swaying their hips from side to side as they turned. "Wouldn't want you getting motion sick." 

Flushed with heat again at their current physical contact, Tessa missed a beat and yelped when he suddenly dipped her backwards, then broke out in peals of laughter as he lifted her up again, this time ending with her chest pressed briefly against his. "Don't tell me you don't like dancing. You're having way too much fun with this."

"Maybe it's the company," Steve teased and spun her outwards in a double spin before twisting her the other way and back into his arms. "The right person can make anything worthwhile." 

Tessa's breath hitched again, her cheeks blooming with reddish warmth, and then she smiled widely. "I think you're right about that. So, what, I guess that makes me the right person at the moment? Or are you just warming up for that brunette who was totally checking you out earlier?" 

"She was?" Eyes twinkling, Steve chuckled and pressed her closer again, but rather than turn them around like Tessa had expected, he simply continued swaying their hips side to side. "Nah, I think one dance's enough for today. Maybe even this year."

"You know what that makes you sound like, right?" Tessa teased whilst trying to ignore the rising giddiness and dizziness in her body, which seemed to thrum with every motion Steve made. 

"What?" He turned his head towards her, grin still wide, and his face filled her entire vision, blurring out everything else. The closeness was distracting, as was the magnetism seemingly pulling them together for each moment that passed. 

"An old grouch. Social recluse. Hermit. Eternal bachelor. Take your pick." Tessa's hand snuck up to Steve's neck and held on there rather than on his shoulder, and she wondered if that made him flush with heat as much as her. 

"Not exactly stellar characterisations," Steve teased, turning them around and also drawing her into a new spin. "Is that how you see me?" 

Tessa grinned as their gazes met before she spun back into his embrace. "Only when it comes to dancing."

Steve's voice dropped almost an octave. "Maybe I'll need to remedy that, then." 

There was little warning before Steve dipped her again, then turned them almost 180 degrees before pulling her back up. Dizzy with the motion, Tessa blinked her eyes several times, belatedly realising that they were now so close she could tilt her head forward less than an inch and it'd rest on his shoulder. When she turned her face to his, she felt his cheek on hers, slightly scratchy with a five o'clock shadow, and practically like a furnace blasting its heat onto hers. 

She gasped slightly as their cheeks brushed past each other, then tilted her head back so she could glance up at Steve beneath hooded eyes. There was a dark fiery spark in his and his lips were also parted as if in a gasp, and for a moment all else lost focus. Tessa felt her heart pounding in her chest and thought that maybe - maybe - his was too. It seemed like it. 

It was only when a new song filtered through her ears that Tessa realised they'd stopped still, and a wave of excitement, embarrassment, and something else rushed through her head. With a wide, blushing smile, she tried to pull back and was surprised at the momentary resistance in Steve's grip. 

"That's one dance, as promised," Tessa said in almost a whisper, still smiling. "Did you want another?" 

Steve didn't immediately break into a smile, but he did - embarrassedly so - as his arms loosened around her. "Nah, that's all right. Gotta let these other blokes have a chance too." 

Tessa glanced around them, trying to spot one of those 'blokes', but she saw none. Even so, by the time she looked back at Steve, he'd let go completely and she felt as if her system was going into shock from the lack of warmth enveloping her. 

It could be that, it could be the champagne, or it could be any number of things, but whatever it was, Tessa gripped his hand tightly and pulled herself back into his embrace, a hesitant smile on her face. "Just one more. Please?" 

There was a moment where he looked pained, but only a moment. With Steve's silent nod, it disappeared as suddenly as it'd appeared, even though his touch seemed a little more hesitant and careful this time around as he twirled them slowly to the rhythm of the music. 

Tessa felt a little tenser too, her breath quick and her pulse racing; especially when she slowly raised her arms to loop around Steve's neck and his arms enveloped her lower back in turn, pressing them flush against each other. Heart in her throat, she let her head rest in the nook of his neck and felt heady at the musky scent emanating from his skin. 

"Steve…?" 

His voice sounded as shaky as hers. "Yeah?" 

"Why do you hate weddings?" 

A deep exhale escaped his lips, the breath rushing across her naked neck, causing shivers to run up and down her spine. "I was married once. It didn't end well." 

"Oh." Tensing, Tessa glanced around them, suddenly aware of their surroundings. Just a few feet away, the happy bride and groom were locked in a similar slow dance, their eyes solely for each other. It made Tessa's heart clench tightly. "Sorry to hear that." 

"Happened a million years ago," Steve said quietly, his breath still hot on her skin. On her lower back, his hands pressed themselves a little more firmly to her. "I'm sorry if it's put a damper on today. I know you've been looking forward to this." 

Tessa smiled softly and pressed herself closer to Steve, trying to convey something her words might not be able to. "No damper. I think everyone's having a good day. Myself included."

"Yeah?" There was half a tease, half seriousness in Steve's voice. "I thought maybe the old grouch had scared off all your suitors."

Chuckling, Tessa brushed her thumbs across the hairline on Steve's neck, but didn't have the guts to lean back and meet his gaze, afraid she'd give herself away. "If they can't handle you, they're not worth it." 

In response, Steve's arms squeezed her tighter to him, causing her to flush all over again, hot and dizzy. Embarrassed at her body's reaction, Tessa cleared her throat and grasped for something to say. 

"Tess…?" With a slow motion, Steve tipped his head up, his cheek caressing hers gently until his lips were right next to her ear. 

Tessa's heart pounded rapidly in her chest. "Yeah?" 

But whatever it was he wanted to say, Steve seemed to struggle with the words too. 

Soon, however, they seemed saved by the bell. The song came to an end, replaced by a more upbeat disco song, and the couples around them parted with cheerful yells to dance more wildly. 

With some reluctance, Tessa broke away from Steve too, their gazes locking for a moment. There was great depth in those eyes, Tessa realised, and it was enough to cause another blush to break out on her face. Embarrassed, she ducked her head, let go of him fully, and turned to leave the dance floor. 

He didn't stop her, and Tessa walked without really knowing where she was headed. Soon, she was outside the party locale, the hot sun blasting her skin amidst small breaths of cool ocean wind. It was as much of a conundrum as the one she felt within. Heart racing, she took deep breaths, feeling dizzy and maybe even a little nauseous. 

When Steve's low "Tess?" came behind her, she closed her eyes and half wished he'd go somewhere else. She felt untethered, out of control, and she hated the feeling. Not about to reveal that, however, she turned to him…and was surprised to find him practically right in front of her. 

"Steve?" 

It was all she managed before he'd pulled her flush against him, back into that hot and tantalisingly comfortable embrace, and was nuzzling her neck with his nose and lips. Tessa gasped when he kissed her behind her ear, blood hammering its way from her head, through her chest and down to her groin, leaving her dizzy and breathless. In response, she looped her arms around his neck again, clutching him tightly, and pressed her chest against his. 

Then Steve's lips trailed over her skin, down her jaw, and finally finding its way to where she'd wanted them since that first dance. With a moan, she kissed him back, inhaling sharply through her nose, and it was like an explosion bursting up from the pit of her stomach. 

Caught in the moment, she didn't realise they were overbalancing until she was forced backwards and he had to steady them, arms tight around her lower back. The break of contact between them didn't last, their mouths seemingly hungry for more, teased as they were from the dancing earlier. 

Soon, their tongues came into play, battling for dominance amidst moans and grips and jerks and grinds. When her vision threatened to blacken, Tessa pulled back, gasping for air, and she heard Steve panting just as heavily as her while their foreheads rested against each other. Shaking with a multitude of sensations and emotions, Tessa opened her eyes and found Steve staring down at her, those dark pools energetic and magnetic. 

"That what you wanted to say?" She couldn't help the tease, feeling practically euphoric, and she chuckled along with Steve, who tightened his hold on her and dropped a kiss on her forehead. 

"Apparently."

Relishing the closeness, Tessa smirked widely. "Blindsided you, did it?" 

"A bit." Steve grinned and nuzzled his nose to hers, lowering his voice considerably. "This is why I didn't want to dance." 

"Maybe it's why _I_ did." Trembling somewhat, Tessa met his gaze again and blushed at the stunned look in his eyes. "Not that I thought it'd turn out exactly like this…"

Steve's tensed somewhat. "Want me to back off?" 

Tessa dug her fingernails into his skin in response. "Not at all." She grinned widely. "I think we're just getting started."

** FIN **

* * *

**Optional:** [PART 2 can be read in the M-rated compilation fic "Drawn by scent, like a bee to a flower"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9132811/chapters/22545335). :)


	30. Scent of Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a traumatic experience a friend is in need of comfort. Coda to "Scent of Evil" (3x16).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a small mention of Brett, Tessa's ex-boyfriend from novel "Deadline" / "Suspect" by Jennifer Rowe.

**Prompt:** 036\. Smell

* * *

 **Emma Chambers:** They can smell your fear.  
**Tessa: Vance** Open the gate! _(Chambers sprays the communicative scent on Tessa)_ No! _(Chambers walks away)  
(Steve arrives at the kennel. Chambers meet him in the hallway.)  
_**Emma Chambers:** The dogs've gone crazy – I can't control them!  
**Steve Hayden:** Where's Detective Vance?  
**Emma Chambers:** I'm gonna get help! _(Steve is suspicious, runs off in the direction Chambers came from)_  
**Steve Hayden:** Tessa! Tessa!  
**Tessa Vance:** _(Lying on the ground trying to reach her gun under the fence door)_ I'm here! Over here, Steve! Open the gate! Get me the gun! _(Steve manage to get her out)_

 _(From 'Scent of Evil',_ _**Murder Call** ,_ _3x16)_

* * *

Detective Senior Constable Tessa Vance shut the door behind her with a loud _click_ as the deadlock slid in place. For a moment she fingered with the chain, before leaving it hanging limply along the frame of the door. It was a silly notion to lock everything behind her. It would not bring any more comfort or security than she already had.

She turned on a small lamp by the grey couch, ignoring the red blinking light of the answering machine as she threw the handbag on top of the dining table. Shirking out of the high heels, Tessa felt cool surface touch the soles of her feet and fleetingly wondered if she should put some socks on. She never made it into the bedroom, however, as she drifted back towards the couch and slumped heavily into the cushions.

It was as if the smell was still on her even if she couldn't sense it herself. That fact made it all worse. Not being able to sense the thing that made her a walking target for four-legged beings with snapping jaws...How lucky she had been to know about it rather than be taken by surprise. A very deadly surprise. The thought gave her no comfort either.

Standing up on her feet Tessa made her way into the bathroom, shedding the replacement jacket she had picked up before returning to the office. Following the jacket into the hamper was the white sweater and black pants, then the stockings. The underwear landed on the bathroom floor and the next moment she had hot water streaming down her face and body. With a good handful of soap she started rubbing it in, never bothering to turn the water off in the meantime, scrubbing and scrubbing until she felt hot and prickly all over.

Her chest started heaving as she saw the skin redden and she imagined the blood running all over her stomach and arms... Burning eyes unleashed tears that were swallowed by the hot water splashing on her face. She didn't care about being careful lest her skin dry up. She didn't care about washing her hair nurturingly once or twice. All she could see behind closed lids and hear beyond the water clouding her ears was the malicious grin through thin-wired fence and the voice dripping with taunting venom as the dogs growled behind her.

" _They can smell your fear."_

Tessa slid down to the floor of the shower, wrapping her arms around her legs as the water still sprayed down on her. It was still there. That scent. She couldn't shake it off. She couldn't wash it off. It had ingrained itself into her skin.

Her throat constricted brokenly.

* * *

Watching the spunky redhead down the last ball, Detective Senior Constable Steve Hayden did the obligatory downcast chin as he acknowledged her victory.

"That's three beers you owe me!" said Constable Dee Suzeraine with a wide smirk, to which Steve only shrugged with an acquiescing smile. "Another game?"

"Nah, not tonight," said Steve. "I think I'm gonna take off." He laid the cue down on the empty pool table. Dee only shrugged, not one to be easily down.

"Hey, it's your loss. Don't think you can skip out on those beers though!" Dee flashed him a grin and Steve chuckled.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said.

Moving away from the pool table he found Fisk and Tootsie in another of their heated discussions, and, by the sound of it, the medical examiner still hadn't gotten over the fact that their dear forensic expert owned a hermit crab called Howard. Neither had Steve for the matter of fact, but he was saving the ribbing for another day. His head was filled with other thoughts right now.

"I'm calling it a night," he told them during a break of their discussion, picking up his jacket from a nearby chair. Fisk only nodded but Tootsie gave him a penetrable look.

"You dropping by Tessa's?" she asked. Steve nodded. Tootsie didn't say anything else, however, only inclining her head thoughtfully.

"See ya," he said, feeling a bit of tension return to his neck underneath the stare of the medical examiner. Getting out of the crowded bar and into fresh air did wonders, and he breathed in the crisp night air deeply, feeling the tension leave as he strode back towards the Central.

As he walked along the half-empty pavement, Steve suddenly heard the bark of dogs in the distance. His head whipped up, half expecting to see his partner close to being mauled by frenzied dogs. Only dark streets barely illuminated by lamp posts and the usual noise of a sleepless city met his senses. No fences, no frightened voice calling out to him...

He shook his head. It wasn't often he experienced these things and he wanted nothing more than to rid himself of them. The loss of control was eerily uncomfortable and he felt slightly lonely where he strode along the pavement, only passed once in a while by dark cabs and cars.

Turning at an intersection, Steve walked up to the garage door leading to the underground parking lot below the Central. He found his card and swiped it before punching the code. The door next to the wide carport opened and he stepped inside, closing it firmly behind him. Every city noise immediately silenced and there was only him and his footsteps.

The car was parked exactly where he had left it, a dark blue sedan most commonly used by civilian-clad officers. Without further ado he unlocked it and got in, moments later firing up the engine. Soon he was back at the carport, which opened with the push of a button installed next to the wheel, and rolled onto the street.

Joining the scarce line of cars out on the city streets, Steve couldn't help but drift off again into thought. He looked at the phone he had fastened next to the stereo. No messages, no replies. It had been silent all night. No response to the many calls he had made to her cell phone and home phone. He wondered what she was doing; if going by her place would only be a dead end.

Though they had known each other for little more than two years now, Steve had started to get to know the enigma he had for a partner. Tessa Vance may be brilliant and obsessed, but when dealing with traumatic experiences she sought to familiar surroundings, whatever they may be. Occasionally he found her at home, other times she had been elsewhere. She hid, it was as easy as that. It was understandable, though. She had never been one for drinking and thus didn't exactly share his and the others' way of unwinding. Still, Steve had no idea what she usually did, but today seemed like one of those days he ought to find out.

* * *

Tessa had managed to pick herself off the shower floor once the water ran cold and get into some warm clothes. As if having regained some control, she towel-dried her curly hair and combed it back behind her ears, before finding soft flannel pants and t-shirt from her wardrobe to wear. She now lay on top of the covers of the bed; the windows were open but not offering very cool air. The sound of cars and distant voices reached her ears as she stared unseeingly on the wall, faintly registering the sounds before they vanished from her mind the next second.

She hugged her legs in the foetal-like position she had implemented, her throat sore and her eyes dry but burning still. She was so tired, but sleep eluded her as always. Nights had always been her worst moments and today's events had certainly done nothing to improve the situation. It had in fact made it worse. At least that was her current hypothesis. All the clues were there right in front of her, taunting her, hounding her, never going to disappear. No matter how hard she tried, no sleep would come to her tonight.

Even a long, hot shower couldn't rid her of the indiscernible scent.

The sudden knock on her door startled her, making her shoot up in bed and look around in frenzy, her heart pulsing wildly in her throat. The bark of a dog from somewhere impacted on her senses and Tessa jumped again, grasping the bed covers tightly in her hands, gasping as the familiar sense of dread penetrated her perception.

The dogs were there, staring at her. She had ignored the rule of not staring back into their eyes, thus instigating them to further action. It had been her fault. She hadn't even checked if someone was around before she approached the fenced-in dog house! And now that face was staring at her again—

The knocking persisted, pulling her out of her thoughts, grounding her, reminding her she was not at the kennel. Not at the mercy of a malicious grin and growling dogs...

Tessa slid out of bed, her bare feet stumbling quickly towards the door as the raps became impatient. She twisted the deadlock and wrenched the door open, startled once again when she saw who was on the other side.

"Steve!"

Indeed, there he stood, her partner, looking very concerned above his loosened tie and open jacket.

"Tessa, are you okay?" he asked, eyebrows knitting together. Not knowing quite what to say she only pushed the door open. He strode through, pausing as he looked around the dark apartment only lit by the small lamp next to the couch. His eyes stopped by the still blinking answering machine.

"I called you several times," he said, turning to look at her. Tessa stared dumbfounded at the blinking red light, still at a loss for words. "Hey." He was suddenly next to her, hands on her shoulders. Those wonderful gentle eyes goaded her to look at him again.

Tessa felt her lower lip start to tremble and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that any minute the tears would return if he continued staring at her like that. It didn't help; it only brought them on in full force. The next thing she knew she was crumbling and then something warm was wrapped around her and a chin was nuzzling her hair as distinctive male smell permeated her senses.

* * *

Steve held the sleeping woman in his arms, reeling in everything that had happened. The broken woman meeting him at the door had been a shock, but somehow he got over it and set his mind on a different track. It had been instinct that drove him towards her and when she had started to cry he couldn't help hugging her.

From the floor to the couch had been an easy enough affair, despite him carrying nearly all of her weight. She was a very small woman, he realised, and without her heels she barely reached his shoulders. And at the moment he could not see that brave and tough face she put on along with her trouser suits, only a woman who was vulnerable and insecure. Somehow the thought troubled him, but he didn't know how or why.

She had cried herself to sleep. He didn't know how long he had sat there, but she must have been exhausted nonetheless. By the looks of it, she had done nothing else either since she got home. No kitchen smell, no clutter, and he was sure he had caught glimpses of discarded clothes along the path into her bedroom. Only the damp hair against his shirt told tales of what she had done.

The thoughts flittering through his mind as he listened to her deep breaths were anything but organised. It was disconcerting, to say the least. He felt like he could barely control what was going on.

Although Tessa had not spoken a word, he knew her distress had to be due to the incident at the kennel today. Frankly, he had to be honest and say he was uncomfortable with the event as well. Seeing her trapped inside that cage, hearing her frenzied voice calling his name... Steve had to admit his hands had been shaking as they pried the gate open, his heart had been pounding and every second he had wondered if the dogs were going to abandon the item they were tearing apart and go for her instead. Then the door was open and she had run off as far as she could from the doghouse, giving him no other choice but to follow.

In hindsight, he wasn't truly surprised. He had gotten used to running after her whenever she got it into her head to take off. He had, however, managed to sit her down while he went after the killer. In her state he hadn't trusted her behind the wheels. He had, though, left her on her own tonight while he went to the bar to unwind.

Steve looked down at her calm features, gazing at the red and sore cheeks that even in her sleep made her look fragile and wounded. He regretted his trip to the bar right now, even if it was useless to think about such things now. What's done was done and he couldn't change that.

With a smirk Steve thought that no matter what he should or shouldn't have done, sitting on his partner's couch and holding her like he would a child wasn't exactly what he had imagined anyway. Sure there had been hugs, but nothing quite like this.

Without thinking, he brushed a stray hair away from her face and was caught off guard when she sought further into his palm. Quickly, he withdrew his hand lest he wake her. He needn't have worried; Tessa slept on without another twitch.

Silently, head swimming with thoughts he thought he had long since suppressed, Steve leaned further into the couch, preparing himself for a long haul.

* * *

The next day brought Tessa a major headache along with a kink in her neck. She found herself on the couch, a blanket draped over legs; it seemed to have fallen off her during the night. Confused, it took her befuddled mind a while to think back on what had happened and why she was lying on the couch. Soon her eyes widened as the vague memories filtered back as if in slow motion.

Steve had come last night and she had broken down. Then there had been warmth around her – Steve must have gestured her to the couch and held her – and then only blissful sleep only occasionally disrupted by bad dreams. But whenever she woke, she had taken only a moment to be calmed by another presence before falling asleep again. She had thought she was dreaming when Steve mumbled soft words of comfort to her or when she could sense the wondrous smell that was only his. It had been too surreal to be true. And yet Tessa was very sure it had been all but a dream.

A blush crept up her neck and seeped into her cheeks as Tessa clutched the blanket in her hands and inhaled. It was very faint, but she thought she could smell his scent still. It was musk and that particular scent that was solely his. Not even Brett had smelled so good.

Her eyes flew open as she shut her mind firmly to the thoughts that started to roam freely. Seeking a distraction, she looked around and found the apartment empty, eerily lit up with the rays of an early sun beyond the curtains. One of the rays caught off on something white by the dining table, and Tessa realised it was a piece of paper. As far as she knew, it had not been there yesterday.

Standing up on her feet, rolling her sore shoulders – whatever position she had lain in last night had _not_ been good for her joints – and bending her head sideways to try working out the kink in her neck, Tessa went to the table. The joints felt marginally better, but she forgot all about the dulled pain once the note was in her hands.

It was from Steve.

_Good morning!_

_You must have the worst kink today... Let me know and I'll rub it for you._

_Don't bother coming in for work today. I'll chase you home the minute I see you! I'll take care of the remaining paperwork. You just rest up. You seem like you need it._

_And if you need to talk to someone, I'm here. There's no reason to hide away. You've got nothing to be ashamed off, and you certainly won't feel better either. Like they say, you can run but you can't hide._

_Take care, Tess._

_Steve_

_P.S. I'll warn everyone to watch out for you, so don't bother trying to sneak around me to get back to work!_

A wide grin accompanied a chuckle, and Tessa felt momentarily better. Actually, when she thought about it and apart from the sore neck and shoulders, she felt loads better.

She read the note one more time, grinned, and laid it down on the table top. She wrapped her arms around herself as she stared back on the couch, imagining how the scene had looked last night.

Last night, no words had been exchanged, but none had been needed. Theirs was a relationship with little words. By his presence he had comforted her and Tessa felt immensely better. As long as she knew he was there for her, she could manage.

She picked up the blanket from the couch and inhaled the faint scent again.

**END**


End file.
